A Legend's Beginning
by TheGrey0ne
Summary: A mysterious mercenary/assassin, a love-able and slightly naive Vaporeon, and a secretive yet charming Umbreon. Join Lura the Vaporeon as she tries her best to survive in the time of a Legend's Beginning. Rated M for mature themes not fit for youngsters. Lemons included sporadically. Credit for the cover image goes to Yuna Tsukuyomiko! Onto Part 2 of 4!
1. Prologue

_A gentle light, surrounded by a pressing darkness, speckled with bright lights here and there, with some being brighter than others. That was the first thing he saw after the moonlit clearing he was in previously._

 _At first, he thought that he was still in the same place, and that nothing had changed. He frowned for a moment. And nothing, what did I expect, he thought. That thought changed when he felt something prod his side, followed by a gentle voice saying, "Hey, are you alright?"_

 _He turned his head to look at the person that had poked him. Then his eyes widened at what he saw as he leapt to his feet._

 _The person that had poked him wasn't a person. It was a weird, but adorable, silvery creature that looked somewhat like a fox, with a bushy mane and big ears._

" _What the… who are you! What are you?!" he asked loudly. The creature winced and lowered its ears. Her ears, he realized, though he wasn't sure how he knew that._

" _You don't recognize your own species? I'm an eevee silly, same as you," she told him, a small frown on her face._

 _He looked at her in confusion. "An eevee?" he asked as he looked down at the ground, as well as at his paws. That was when it struck him. He wasn't in the same body, he was in one very similar to the creature in front of him. He shook himself and stared at the other eevee, who was a lighter color than him he noticed. He frowned at her. "Alright, so that's what you are. But who are you?"_

 _She beamed at him. "My name's Luna!"_

* * *

 **Table of Contents**

 **Ch 1: What Makes a Villain**

 **Ch 2: Lura's Remorse**

 **Ch 3: Zero**

 **Ch 4: A New Life**

 **Ch 5: What Makes a Hero**

 **Ch 6: A New Home**

 **Ch 7: Jealous Jolteon {LEMON}**

 **Ch 8: Enter Cordina**

 **Ch 9: A Day in Haven**

 **Ch 10: Sorrow's Eve**

 **Ch 11: Leave Taking**

 **Ch 12: Enter Artul {LEMON}**

 **Ch 13: Flashes From the Past**

 **Ch 14: Day 1 {LEMON}**

 **Ch 15: Sparring for Two**

 **Ch 16: Sinful Demon {LEMON}**

 **Ch 17: Memories**

 **Ch 18: Scars of the Past {LEMON X 2}**

 **Ch 19: Calm Before**

 **Ch 20: Celebration {LEMON}**

 **Ch 21: Joy**

 **Ch 22: Pride**

 **Ch 23: Pain {LEMON X 2}  
**

 **Part 2**

 **Ch 24: Exile**


	2. Chapter 1: What Makes A Villain

**A/N: Hello all, Aurumn here. First off, going to request that people try and get past the first chapter, it is easily my worst. If you still don't like my story at the end of my fourth chapter, then feel free to ignore the rest. I just noticed that Chapter 1 has around 200+ views, but Chapter 2 has 104. Please and thank you! So I've been an avid reader on this site for a loooong time, just haven't had the time nor the means necessary to write my own story. That being said, welcome to my first story, A Legend's Beginning. Now, just a warning, this story is going to be rated M for a reason. There will be violence, dark thoughts and other parts that might be considered disturbing to some people. As such, I felt I should make a few things clear. One, I am not a saint, nor do I pretend to be one. I will not openly try to offend someone, but some of my ideas that I write down might rub people the wrong way. All I ask is that you all don't flip shit at me. **

**This is my first story! My main goals for writing are to improve in general, and to get all of my ideas out of my head to free up some room. Gets cramped in my head sometimes. On other things, this will not be the only book in this series. I intend to make these characters and this story to last as long as it possibly can. Last thing to note is that this chapter might seem to jump around a bit, and the beginning might look like it belongs to another story. I assure you this is not the case, it does belong here. Things will be explained as the story progresses.**  
 **Alright, that's out of the way. All that said, enjoy the story! Constructive criticism is appreciated, hate is not.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or anything related to it. However, I do own this story and the OC's that I've created.**

* * *

 _ **{What do you want?}**_ **  
 _[Another chance.]_**

The first thing that his brain registered was pain. Horrible, agonizing, gut wrenching pain. He let out a small groan and rolled onto his back, with his eyes still closed. He opened them slowly, and stared at the ceiling, trying to process what had happened. He was brushing his teeth, getting ready to turn in for the night when he had heard loud noises in the hallway. He had opened the door, only to see three men wearing ski masks and a handgun leveled at him. Before he could even blink there was a loud bang, followed by a searing pain in his chest as he collapsed on the bathroom floor, before apparently blacking out. _Well,_ he thought, _I'm still breathing. Guess it ain't that bad._

He shifted his gaze to where his hands were, pressed against where the most pain was at. Moving his hands away from his body slightly, he checked his injury. _Well, maybe it is._ The only thing he could see was blood, so dark a red that it looked black. _That can't be good._

He slowly attempted to stand on his feet, using the counter on his right to support himself. Now standing, he looked down at his slim figure, white shirt stained red by his blood. _Damn. I liked this shirt._ He stood there for a moment, before the sheer idiocy of his thought struck him. _Just got shot and I'm worried about my shirt._

He heard another noise coming from outside the bathroom door, which had partially shut when he had collapsed, leaving barely a crack open. _Right, bad guys still inside house._ He contemplated going out into the hall and beating their collective asses, until he realized that in his current state, he wouldn't stand a chance. That was when he remembered his cell-phone in his left front pocket. _I'm an idiot,_ he thought to himself. He slowly sat down, placing his back against the cupboards, pulling out his phone as he did so.

"911, what's your emergency?"  
"My house is being robbed, possibly with my family being held hostage. The address is 595 Tower Court, SE."  
"How many robbers, are they armed and is anyone injured? And are you currently inside the home?"  
"They are definitely armed. Only saw three of them, all with sidearms, but there might be more. As far as injuries goes, I've been shot once in the chest area at close range, and I'm starting to feel delirious. I am sitting in our bathroom at the moment."  
"How bad are you bleeding? Are you able to stay on and talk, or are you at risk of being found?"  
"Can't tell, the entire front half of my body is red. I can't talk much longer, already pushing it as is…. Are cruisers on their way?"  
"Yes sir, they should be there any minute."  
"Good… I don't think I'm going to be conscious, maybe even alive for much longer. I've lost a lot of blood, it was probably close to 2 hours ago that I got shot. I blacked out for a bit, so I'm not sure, but my bathroom floor is covered in blood…"  
"Sir, try to stay awake!"

"Sir?"

"Sir, are you still there?"

 **[POV: Staff Sergeant Wolfe, 7 Years Later]**

He woke with a start, sweat streaming from his body as it was wracked with tremors. _Every single time,_ he thought. _Every single damn time._ For the life of him he couldn't understand why his brain insisted on remembering that night. _It's been 7 fucking years! 7! Just forget it already!_ No matter how much he yelled at himself, he knew that he would probably never forget that day for as long as he lived. Hell, he just had to look at his chest to remember it. The scars were right there, plain as day. Sometimes he could still feel his bullet wounds.

The absolute worst part of his dreams though, is that it was never from his perspective. Always watching either his brothers or his sisters. Never his. Every night, it was the same exact thing. Every night he was one of the people he held most dear.

Every night he saw the faces of the ones he lost.

 _I had to play fucking hero. I just had to fight back,_ he thought. _I just had to get my brothers and sisters killed._ He sighed softly to himself. "I suppose I should get on with my day. Might as well start early," he said to himself. He glanced at his alarm clock. It read 3:43 am. "Ughhhh…" he groaned

Suddenly there was a furious pounding on his door, followed by a voice saying, "Sergeant, you need to get up. Something's going on. Something big!"  
Wolfe groaned again. "Alright, I'm on my way. Give me five."  
"Yes Sergeant!" the person, who Wolfe assumed was a Private, yelled. _What a dumb fuck, shouting at 4 in the morning. Fuck him,_ he thought. If there was one thing that Wolfe hated, it was loud people in the morning. Horrible on the ears, and the mood. He instantly decided that today was going to be a bad day.

"Great," he muttered. "My luck I'm gonna get shot today. Again." He actually had a reputation on base and with buddies for having the shittiest luck, or the greatest luck depending on how you look at it. He'd been shot a total of 32 times in his entire six years of service. Plus three times prior to service, but nobody talked about that.

Wolfe slowly rotated his body on his cot and placed his feet on the ground, before burying his head in his hands for a few moments. Then he stood up with a grunt and cracked his back, before he threw on his uniform. _I hate these damn things,_ he thought as he tied his boots. _They take to long to put on and they're hot as fuck. Can't be helped I guess, at least they look nice._ Camouflage uniform on, he made his way to the entrance of the tin hut that served as his room.

Once outside, he immediately reached into his pocket and pulled out his cigarettes, along with his lighter and lit one. As he pocketed the lighter, he noticed the messenger, who was indeed a private, look at him with disgust. Wolfe snorted in amusement but didn't say anything as he started walking.

"You know Sergeant, those things are killing you," the young man said.

Wolfe just snorted again, before replying, "Private, if I wanted to be preached at, I would go to church."

"I'm just saying Sergeant, think of your family back home. They already have to worry about you with all of this bullshit going on here. The least you can do is give them one less thing to worry about, right?"

Wolfe glanced sideways at the private, before looking forward and saying, "I don't believe that I stuttered Private. You ain't my pastor, so don't preach at me. Also, I can guarantee that my family isn't worrying one bit about me, smoking or not. Now then, if you don't know the situation, don't say anything. I smoke for a reason."

The private just looked at him with a questioning look, before saying, "Why won't your family worry about you? Sure, everyone fights with their families, but at the end of the day you still love each other."

Wolfe just sighed, still looking forward. They walked in silence for a moment, before he began speaking again. "Private, I appreciate you being concerned with my health, but don't bother. I'm a dead man living off of borrowed time anyway. This here cigarette is just speeding up the counter a bit."

He stopped talking for a moment, before answering the privates question. "I know my family isn't worried about me Private, because they're all dead already, and my son doesn't even know I exist."

The private gasped and stopped walking, although Wolfe didn't. He knew the way to go. _Let him think on that for a while,_ he thought to himself. _A nice lesson in not judging others._

 **[POV: Lura, 926 Years Before Big Freeze]**

The first thing that she remembered was seeing him, right after she hatched. He was large and tall, with brown eyes, pink lips, pale cheeks, with brow curly hair and a roundish face. She instantly decided that she loved this creature in front of her, even if it was a bit odd looking. She loved him. "Eevveee!" she shouted at him, with a big smile on her face as she leaped towards him.

He chuckled as she fell flat on her face in front of him, before picking her up and smiling at her with his kind brown eyes staring into her own. She found herself hoping that her own eyes were such a lovely shade of brown. "Why hello there, my adorable little eevee. Welcome to our world," he told her. "My name is Gary Peterson, and you will be Lura Peterson. I hope that you like your name!"

 _Yes,_ Lura Peterson thought. _I do like my name. No, I love it. And I love you Gary, and I always will._

Her first days passed by very quickly for her. Day one was all about learning to walk, and meeting the family, which was Gary and his parents, who he addressed as Mom and Dad. Lura figured that since he called them that, she would call them that to, although it probably wouldn't have mattered. She found out quite quickly that, for some reason, Gary and his parents couldn't understand her.

Day two was all about her learning her surrounding. She found out that the Peterson's were farmers, with a couple Miltank and well as a few Tauros. On top of the other pokemon, they also had a couple different crops, such as berries and wheat. Lura like the smell of the berries, and enjoyed the company of the Miltanks, although the Tauros came across as rude to her, so she stayed away from them. She learned from the Miltank named Bertha that Lura was a pokemon known as Eevee, and that supposedly they were quite uncommon.

After that her days blurred into becoming weeks, weeks into months and months, into years. She learned a lot along the way, such as that the Peterson's were considered to be peasants, and as such they owed their Lord a portion of all the food and milk that they produced. Lura was slightly confused as to why they owed someone anything, but Bertha told her that it was because he provided them with protection in the form of patrolling soldiers and keeping bandits and wild pokemon away from their house and barn.

As the years went by, harvests came and went, and the Peterson's managed to get by every year. And Lura was happy. Life was peaceful, her family was loving, and she enjoyed every minute of it. That is, she did until something happened to Bertha, twelve years after the day of her hatching.

One day, as Lura was talking to Bertha, the Miltank started coughing. And coughing and coughing and coughing. Lura just stood there, gazing at her with concern, which quickly turned to horror as she began coughing up blood.

Immediately Lura turned around and sprinted outside of the barn, shouting as she went. "Gary!" she shouted. "Gary, come quick! Bertha is sick!"

While she knew he wouldn't be able to understand her, she hoped that the urgency of her voice would let him know something was wrong. It did, and he came bolting out of the house as fast as he could. As soon as she saw him, Lura turned and ran back towards the barn. As she ran she heard footsteps pounding behind her and knew that Gary was following behind closely.

As soon as they entered the barn Lura noticed that Bertha was still coughing, mouth covered in blood. "Oh shit," she heard Gary mutter. He ran to Bertha's side and put a hand on her back, trying to soothe her. It didn't work, as Bertha continued to have her violent coughing fit for a long while. The whole time, Lura was running about with worry, asking Bertha repeatedly if she was ok. Her only answer was more coughing.

Finally she stopped and weakly sat down, breathing hard. "I… I think I might be sick," she said softly. Lura could only nod as Bertha decided to lay down and sleep.

Over the next few weeks Lura's worry grew as Bertha got worse. It got to the point where Bertha couldn't even move from her stall, and Lura was banned from the barn so that she didn't catch it. Lura could only watch from a distance as her friend was slowly dying. When that fateful day finally came, the Peterson's all sat at the kitchen table and discussed things.

"It's a bad omen is what it is," said Dad. "Never seen this kind of sickness before, and it happened right at the end of harvest. Something bad is about to happen, I feel it in my bones.

Gary just shook his head before speaking. "Dad, it's not a bad omen. These things just happen, sometimes right out of the blue. There's nothing we could have done, so we shouldn't dwell on it."

"All I'm saying son, is that I think we should all be cautious in the field and in general. If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong. I won't argue for a bad thing to happen, hell I hope it doesn't. But I know what the people my neighbors are talking about, and what the nobles and townsfolk talk about. Something is coming. Something bad."

Gary simply sighed. "I know dad, and to make you feel better I will be a bit more cautious when I'm out. Doesn't change that nothing is going to happen."

"I hope that you're right. Meanwhile, let's get back to work. Harvest ain't gonna happen by itself."

Lura thought about that conversation for a while. Bertha was gone, so she couldn't get her opinion on it. This was something that she had to figure out by herself. She swore to herself, that if something did happen, she would be ready.

Days passed, which soon turned to weeks, until finally, a month had passed. Lura still missed Bertha, but she had her family to help her cope. Didn't change the fact that her childhood friend was gone, and that she would never see her again.

One night, about six weeks after Bertha had died, the Peterson's had a visitor. It was a man, dressed in a black cloak that shadowed his face so that no one ever got a clear image of it. He spoke in a deep, calming voice that compelled you to listen to him. He asked Lura to take him to the owner of the farm. She had nodded, and led him to Gary's dad, who was currently talking to Gary himself.

"What can I do for you sir?" Dad had asked.

"Mr. Peterson," he started. "I felt that I should warn you. A certain individual is talking to me, trying to arrange a contract. He wants you and your family dead. He hasn't said why, but I don't necessarily need to know the reason. Supposedly you have something that he wants. Something he wants bad enough to charge my price and have you killed. You seem like a nice enough family, but I must warn you, for the sake of your wife and your children, that you must flee."

Lura just stared in shock at the mystery man, along with Gary and his father. Finally, the elder man found his voice.

"I beg your pardon, but I swear I just heard you say that you were told to murder us."

The man was quiet for a bit, before talking again. "You heard correctly Mr. Peterson. Although I wouldn't call it murder, as I am warning you right now."

"But you are still willing to kill innocent people! And for what reason!" he half shouted.

"Calm yourself sir. It is merely business, something that I am sure you are aware of. After all, you are a sort of business man yourself. Just my business involves darker methods."

This time Lura had to speak, even though she knew he probably wouldn't understand her. "That isn't business, that's murder!"

The stranger looked at her. "Some might see it that way, little eevee, but we all must make a living somehow. I don't have the skills to be a good merchant, nor the desire to be a pawn in some foolish nobles war. I am simply a mercenary and an assassin. That is all that I am capable of."

Lura and the rest of the Peterson's stared at him in shock. Finally Gary spoke. "Y-you can understand her?!'

The man turned his attention back towards the humans. "Indeed I can. I am aware that most cannot, but all of my kind can."

"Your kind? You mean to tell me that you aren't a man?" Dad asked incredulously.

"No, I am indeed a man. Just something more, if that makes any sense."

Gary shook his head, then said, "Alright, lets get back on track. You are being hired to kill us."

"That is correct."

Dad spoke again. "I… I honestly don't know what to say. I've never been in a situation where someone has straight up told me that they were going to kill me and those that I love."

They all looked at the assassin, who remained silent. Dad then said, "What exactly do you want us to do? And can we do anything at all to change your mind?"

The man just looked at him for a moment, then said, "If you want my advice… Leave. Pack up and leave. Move to another territory. I am already going against my normal conduct by talking to you and telling you this. If you were to go to another place, I wouldn't follow. It is highly unlikely that he will be able to pay my fee for the distance. As for what you can do to change my mind, there is nothing. Once I've been paid I will complete my tasks, of that there is no doubt."

"Why warn us then? Why not just show up and slaughter us once you were paid?"

The man chuckled quietly. "The answer to that is both simple and complicated. Lets just say that when I did my research on your family I found that you were all pretty innocent. A few problems in your history, such as the legitimacy of your son, or the fact that you have another son conceived by a whore. He's doing well by the way. He ended up being a soldier and is currently garrisoned in Nor."

Gary immediately turned his head to his father, who was looking stricken and embarrassed. "Is… is that true father? Am I really not your son?"

"No, he is your father, of that do not doubt. And a good man at that. He's worked hard to atone for his sins, as has your mother. Do not let your trust in them falter, especially as you may not have all that much time left."

Dad found his voice again. "How is it that you know of these secrets? Some of them are so hidden that even I have forgotten them."

"I have my sources, and lets just leave it at that. Nothing stays secret forever."

Gary stared at the man again, before saying, "I think that it's about time that you leave. I don't believe that you are welcome here any more."

The man nodded once, before speaking again. "Of course, I would not want to bother you for long anyway. I merely ask that you think on what I have told you. At the moment I am not your enemy. You might even consider me a friend if you like. I can guarantee you a month of peace, but that is all. If you are not gone you will surely die."

The mercenary then made ready to leave. Before he walked out the door however, Lura called after him, "Wait! You can understand me, so can you answer a couple questions for me?"

The man looked back at her, and then shrugged.. "Sure, why not." He then turned towards the men around the table. "Your eevee has a couple questions for me. Would you be alright if I answer them?"

Gary looked concerned for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't see the harm in it."

The man nodded before making his way over to where Lura was standing on the floor and sat down. "What would you like to know?"

Lura nodded once and then sat and began her questions, of which she had many. "Why do humans wear those fabric thingies?"

"They are called clothes, and we wear them to keep us warm and to protect our modesty."  
Lura nodded again. That made sense. "What are you called?"

"I have many names, but you may call me Wolfe."

"Okay Wolfe, did you have anything to do with Bertha, our miltank who died about a month ago?"

He shook his head. "No I did not, although I was aware that you had a miltank, I was not aware that one had died. How exactly did that happen?"

Lura looked down sadly. "One day she just got sick and started coughing up blood. As the illness progressed, she became weaker and weaker. She finally died about six weeks ago."

"Ah. I have to say that I am sorry for your loss. I know what it's like to lose the ones you care about."

This surprised her. "You say that, yet you would still kill all of us?"

"Only those required by the contract. If I am honest I would rather not, hence why I warned you all. Think of me what you will, but I do not like taking the lives of innocents."

Well that's surprising, if what he talks about is anything to go by, she thought. "And do I fall under the contract?"

"No you do not little one."

Lura was startled. "Why not?"

He chuckled. "Because I flat out told them that I will not kill an eevee or any evolution of such, no matter the price."

She blinked. "Why?"

"Personal reasons little one. That is all I can say for now."

She nodded again, although she was curious about it now. "Can I see your face?"

The man hesitated, then said, "If we were alone little one I would. However, we are not so I won't."

"Okay," she said. "I can understand that. If I were to follow you outside would you?"

The man was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Why do you want to see my face so much, eevee?"

"It's Lura, not eevee, and because I have never met a human who could understand me before."

He sighed softly, then said, "Well then Lura, I must tell you that I will allow you to see my face outside, but at a price." She frowned. "And what price would that be?"

He chuckled again. "Nothing much I assure you. Just two things. One, if it comes to pass that I must kill your family you will not hate me, for I am not really a murderer, just merely a tool, much like that of a sword. If you are stabbed by someone, do you hate the dagger or do you hate the man wielding it?"

Lura hesitated. "I would hate the man wielding it."

"Exactly. Then consider me the dagger being wielded by another man."

She sighed. "I can't guarantee that I will not hate you but I won't hold it against you."

He nodded once. "That is all I can ask of you."

She hesitated, then asked, "And what was the second thing you want?"

Wolfe was silent for a moment, before speaking again. "I ask that you allow me to give you a gift."

She frowned. "What kind of gift exactly?"

"Just my mark on your shoulder. It will help you later in life, as those who see it will know it as mine, and will leave you alone for fear of retribution. Also, should I be near you, you will not have to fear any harm coming to you, as I will know when you are in trouble and will be able to protect you. I must warn you though, Lura. My mark does have its drawbacks. Should you accept it, it will never disappear. Also, if you are ever in direct contact with me, I will know all that you feel, both that of which you are aware, and that of which you are not."

This time Lura thought hard about it. This mark would forever tie her to the man who may or may not kill her family. She looked towards Gary and his father, who had been staring at Wolfe ever since he had revealed his name. Gary's dad caught her gave questioning look, thought for a moment, and then said, "I would accept Lura. I know of this man and his reputation. If I'm completely honest, if I were to die I would rest easy knowing that you would be safe. So long as you have that mark you will be protected beyond measure, more so than anyone else possibly could, no matter their numbers. He's the reason that the Memories lost their foothold in our land, driving back over one hundred men all by himself. If anyone can keep you safe, he can."

Wolfe looked at the man, seemingly surprised. "What is your name, Mr. Peterson?"

"Charles."

"Well Charles, I am glad to see that you understand what I offer, as your son clearly does not."

Lura turned her attention to Gary, who looked outraged at the thought of anyone marking her, good intentions or not.

"Are you crazy father! This man just threatened to kill us! Yet you would willingly let him claim her as his own?" he shouted.

Lura snapped her head back towards Wolfe, who was facing Gary calmly. "What did he mean by claiming me as your own?" she asked.

He looked towards her before speaking, "It was an old belief that if one was marked, they were the property of the one marking them, much like branding. Modern times, however, see it as more of a promise of affection, as most mark their wives and kids. You don't need to worry though, Lura. That is not the case of my mark. It is uniquely my own. However, others would see you as either my mate if it's a pokemon or my pokemon if it's a human. But that is not the case, nor should you see it as such."

Gary glared at him. Then he said, "No. I refuse to allow you to do that. She is mine and mine alone, you will not take her from me."

This struck Lura like a blow. He spoke of her like she was property, or a pet. Not as a member of the family. She lowered her ears sadly.

Suddenly there was a loud smacking sound, followed by a grunt of pain and a crash. Lura jumped and looked back towards Gary and his father. Gary was currently laid out on the table holding the side of his face, looking at his father in shock. Charles on the other hand, looked absolutely pissed.

"Stop being so fucking selfish! Think about something other than your own greed! I am sick and tired of you being so damn prideful in yourself! First off, Lura is not yours. She is her own, you are merely her guardian. She is probably smarter than you, so don't claim ownership of that! She is not a slave. Second, while I am not particularly keen on dying, if I must I would prefer to die knowing that someone I care about will be safe for the rest of her life. Now get your ass up to your room. I don't want to see you for the rest of the night."

Gary looked at him, still holding the side of his face. He dumbly nodded and made his way up the stairs of their small house. Lura herself was shocked. She had never seen Gary's father so mad at him. She felt a little guilty knowing she was the cause of it, but also felt a little warmth knowing that she wasn't thought of as a pet, but actually part of the family.

Charles looked at Wolfe for a moment before speaking. "I am sorry that you had to bear witness to that. I know that, if we were to die, you would be more than capable of guarding over her. Now if you'll excuse me, I should turn in for the night. I will talk to my wife tomorrow about moving. I thank you for your warning, although I cannot thank you for the message that it carries. I am glad to have met you, though at the moment I wish I never had."

"I understand Charles, and I'm sorry I had to convey such a message. But business is business."

"I am aware. Good life to you, Wolfe."

"And you as well."

Gary's father made his way up the stairs towards his own room, leaving Lura alone with Wolfe, which made her more than a little nervous. She kneaded her paws on the ground nervously, before saying, "I can agree with that price as well. Can we go outside?"

Wolfe nodded. "Of course."

He lead the way outside, holding the door open for Lura courteously. She nodded her gratitude at him before walking over to the top of the hill where the setting sun would give her the most light. He followed behind her steadily, not seeming to be in any hurry. On the contrary, he seemed slightly apprehensive. When Lura reached the top she sat down next to the tree and watched him approach.

When he finally reached the tree at the top he just stood there with his back towards Lura, watching the sunset. "You know, I've always liked sunsets. It's a sign that night is coming and the moon is on its way. While most people people enjoy sunrises more due to it being a representation of hope. Similarly most people prefer the daytime. It's easier that way I suppose. But I love the night, particularly the moon. She and I are old friends."

There was silence for a moment, as Lura didn't know what to say and he appeared to be waiting on an answer. Then he continued speaking.

"And what about you, Lura?" he asked while turning his head to look at her. "Do you prefer the night or the day?"

She thought for a moment. Then she said, "In all honesty I've never really been awake at night. I've always been asleep by now, ever since I can remember. So I honestly couldn't tell you which I prefer."

He nodded once before turning back towards the sunset. "So would you do me a favor then? Would you stay up with me tonight for a while?"

She frowned. "Is it safe?"

He laughed. "Lura, right now I can guarantee that you are the safest eevee in existence for as long as you are with me."

She hesitated a bit, before saying, "Well, I suppose I could if you wanted me to."

He nodded again. "Thank you." The he turned around completely to face her, before falling on one knee. "You said you wanted to see my face, right?"

She nodded. "Well, no time like the present I suppose." He reached up to his deep hood before giving it a sharp tug, pulling it away from his head and revealing him to her.

He was a most unusual looking human. He had short brown hair, so short that it was almost nonexistent, with a smooth face, indicating that he shaved. His face was pale, although it was slightly tanned. He had high cheekbones with a firm nose and a strong jaw. His eyes were a piercing grey color, and they seemed to hold an untouchable sadness, one that Lura couldn't help but want to cure. If Lura had to guess and age for him she would have guessed he was 23. When all was said and done, Lura thought that he was a very handsome individual, for a human anyway.

He blinked once and suddenly she couldn't read his eyes, which made her slightly sad though she didn't know why. Then he smiled at her softly and said, "Well there you go Lura, you're one of the few people who have seen my face in recent times. Hopefully I didn't disappoint."

Lura just shook her head. "Why do you talk like you're so old? You can't be older than 25, which is still young for a human, isn't it?"

He laughed at her. "I appreciate that Lura, but I am much older than I look."

"How old exactly?"

"Old enough that you wouldn't believe me if I told you the truth."

She frowned. "Alright, you don't have to tell me. Can you at least tell me how you are able to understand me?"

He shook his head. "No, that's something that I cannot do." She sighed again.

He laughed at her. "You sigh an awful lot for such a young eevee."  
"I'm sorry, it's just how life has been for me recently."

"It's unfortunate that you have to deal with so much so young. If it's any consolation, most of my family died when I was 15."

She looked at him, shocked. "What! How did that happen?!"

He sat down with his back pressed against the tree trunk, facing towards the last of the suns dying rays. "That's also a story for another time. Perhaps I'll tell you it sometime."

"But not tonight?"

"No, not tonight."

They sat in silence for a while, watching the sunset. Lura had to admit that, though he showed up with horrible news, she did enjoy his company. He was relaxing and held a calming aura about him. Every now and then she would look at him to see him intently staring at the suns fading rays. She found herself wondering when he would mark her. Just as she was about to speak he held up a hand, motioning for her not to speak. She looked at him questioningly.

He just shook his head. She turned back towards the sunset. Sooner than she would have thought, the suns light faded fully. As soon as it was fully dark, Wolfe spoke again. "Look up."  
She did and gasped in awe. Above her were stars, countless stars twinkling beautifully in the night sky. And perhaps most glorious of all was the moon. It was almost full, and just seemed to radiate grace and beauty.

"So do you have an answer yet?" Wolfe asked. She nodded mutely.

"I'm glad. Now, if you would like, I can mark you now."

She looked at him. "I'm ready now."

He nodded. "Alright. I need you to look at the moon for me." She did so, admiring its beauty again. "Alright, now I need you to focus on me and the moon. Nothing else. Can you do that?"

She nodded, not taking her eyes off of the moon. Staring at it, the only thing she could think of was Wolfe's grey eyes, and how stunning they were. She had never seen eyes like his before. Then she thought of his voice. How it was so calming and relaxing.

"Alright, good. Now, I'm going to touch you for a moment, but don't worry. I won't hurt you." Lura didn't answer.

"Alright," he said. "Now breathe." She did so.  
In.  
Out.  
Then darkness fell over her as she collapsed.


	3. Chapter 2: Lura's Remorse

**A/N: Hello again, Aurumn here. So, I already got a review! Sweet! And I can answer a couple of your questions, anonymous fan, but not all of them. First, Lura does live in a medieval era. Staff Sergeant Wolfe is the same Wolfe that threatened Lura** **'s family, although Staff Sergeant Wolfe as seen in the first POV is in our world, not the pokemon one. I will cover that in a later chapter though. Big Freeze is an event that will happen sometime in my 3rd book, but it's essentially an Ice Age. Me putting that there is just me planning ahead, so that if people who read my later stories want to see what the world was like before the Ice Age, they can. I am also using it as a basis for years, such as the current year is 2017 A.D., or 2017 C.E. To answer another question, Staff Sergeant Wolfe is only 22, going on 23 years old. Yes, it is possible to be a SSG at that age. However, when he meets Lura, he is somewhere around 96 years old. Is he immortal? Maybe ;). I will tell you that it's complicated though. He is not a cheating time traveler though. So far as Wolfe being able to understand pokemon, then I will tell you that this point is sorta central to the story in the future, but I will just tell you that it's a gift. Ancient times and all that. Also, I have every intention of making this story last for a looooong time. I should still be writing about it and its characters by the time I turn 30. Well, maybe. But any case, you don't need to worry about me not continuing this story. The only thing holding me back from writing constantly is my job and sleep, as well as socializing and whatnot.**

 **Alright, so that** **'s questions answered. I will tell you all that the first couple of chapters are designed to be confusing. It's supposed to leave you guessing ;). I don't expect to get reviews all the time, however I do appreciate feedback. If anything is waaaay to confusing after the 5th chapter, let me know. Also, improvements? Anything, anyone? No? I'm already the greatest author alive? Definitely not ha. Any case, this chapter will introduce a new character.**

 **On to the story! Enjoy and thank you for the review! I appreciate it a lot, and I** **'m glad you like my story.**

* * *

 **[POV: Lura, 914 BBF]**

 _ **{Welcome to your second chance then.}**_

 _ **[Let's hope this one's better than my last.]**_

When Lura woke up, she was on her bed inside the house. Sunlight was streaming in from her window, which was apparently what woke her up. On her right shoulder, she felt a throbbing chill, that seemed to fade even as she noticed it. She felt… different. First, she was very tired. Second, she felt more… powerful. And then there's the fact that it was awfully quiet, to quiet to be the middle of the day.

She got out of her bed and made her way to the stairs that led to the Peterson's rooms. At the top, she paused. She heard voices coming from Gary's parents room. They sounded angry.

Lura ran to the door and shoved it, causing it to crash open. Inside she saw Gary and his father standing by the foot of Charles' bed, with Mom sitting down on it, hands buried in her face as she wept quietly. Both Gary and his dad were in the middle of an argument, although once the door opened they stopped and looked towards her in shock.

"Lura… is that you?" Gary asked softly. _What does he mean by that,_ she thought? _Of course it's me!_ She nodded to let him know it was.

"But… when did you evolve?"

 _Wait, what?!_ Lura looked at her paw, and then let out a little squeak of shock. Instead of the creamy brown that her paw had been, it was a pale blue, with thin hairs on it rather than the fluffy fur she had had before. She twisted around to look down her back and say the same short blue fur growing down her back, and her tail had become a beautiful fin, which curled elegantly upwards and downwards as it moved on its own.

"Wha-what happened to me!" she cried. She turned her attention back towards Gary and Charles, searching for an answer. Gary just look stupefied, whereas his father had a slight grin on his face, although it was only a small one.

"Well, Lura, I do believe congratulations are in order. You've become a beautiful vaporeon, although I am not sure how. I guess that you have a higher affinity towards water than anything else. And maybe that mark on your shoulder had something to do with it as well."

Lura turned her head to look at where Charles had indicated. Indeed, on her right shoulder there was a small, black image of a creature, mouth open in a silent howl. _I suppose that's the mark that Wolfe gave me. I wonder what kind of creature it is?_ She turned her attention back towards Gary, silently pleading for him to say something with her eyes.

Gary shook himself and then smiled at her. "Congrats, Lura! I was going to be getting you a water stone at some point in the future anyway, so you just saved me a lot of money too. You look awesome!"

Lura beamed at him, glad that he approved. Now that the shock of finding out that she was not an eevee anymore had worn off, she had to admit that she might like this form a lot better. It was certainly prettier than her last one.

Gary turned back to Charles. "Father, I don't care if you disapprove or not, I am not leaving. I will ask our Lord to station some soldiers here. 20 men should be more than enough to kill this Wolfe person."

Charles glared at his son. "You aren't listening to me, are you?! I'm telling you that if you ask for the soldiers, the only thing that will happen is more people will die. There isn't any doubt! You may not know of Wolfe, but I do. He's the nightmare of soldiers everywhere! Every time they go in to battle they always have a fear in their hearts that they will run into him and his partner. The only reason we even won the war against the Memories is because we paid a higher price for him than our enemies did! The man's a demon! He can't be killed! Many men have tried! Do you want to know where they are now?"

Gary just mutely shook his head.

"They're all dead, son! If you try to fight him, you will be to! Don't you see what I'm trying to tell you? Our only chance of survival is to do as he said and run. We can go to Nor and stay there for a time, then buy a new plot of land and restart our farm. It's our only chance!"

This time it was Gary who glared at his father. "There is no way that a man cannot be killed. Everyone has their weaknesses, and I'm certain he has his as well."

Charles looked at him incredulously. "Son, you are too young to know what the Memory war was like, but I'm not. Hell, I fought for our Lord myself! I was on that field outside the gates of Taria! I fought in that battle, that war! I saw that man, no, that demon named Wolfe as he fought! I saw him slaughter hundreds of men without seeming to break a sweat! Him and his partner! He's ruthless, with no morals to hold him back! And if it weren't for his whim of telling us, we might already be dead! The one reason, the absolutely only reason that we are still alive, is that in his fancy he decided to give us a chance to escape and live out our lives! That's the only one! Because of the whim of some demon!"

Gary looked down at his feet before speaking again, "I'm sorry father, I know how you feel about this, but my decision stands. I am staying here. You and mom should leave though. I will talk to our Lord in a few days and plead for his help. You will not change my mind."

Charles was quiet for a while. Lura swore that she saw tears in his eyes as he stood there. Gary then looked towards Lura. "I will be taking Lura to our friends in Forn as well, so that they might look after her. I don't think it would be a good idea to have her here where there might be fighting, or for her to move across the territory to Norovia. They also have their own pokemon as well, so she should have company."

Charles shook his head sadly. "I know I won't change your mind son. You take after me too much for that to happen. I agree that she shouldn't be here. Our friends owe me for past debts, tell them that taking care of her will cover all of them. Also, tell Stephen that she is marked by the wolf. He knows of him, hell, he knows him better than I do. He was part of the Mercenary Corps alongside of Wolfe. He'll understand the situation. It would be best if you were to go sooner rather than later."

Gary nodded. "I understand, father. We'll leave in two days' time. For what it's worth, I'm sorry for any trouble I may have caused you. I only ever tried to do right for you, though I know I am no perfect son. At least I tried." And with that, he walked out the door and down the stairs, leaving Lura with his parents, who were now both openly crying.

That day passed by slowly for Lura. It was filled with the sounds of quiet crying and wagons being loaded. Lura did what she could to help them, although she was very limited in what she could do. Mostly she just kept them cool by practicing with her abilities. She found out relatively quickly that she could now sense where any water was within a certain distance. It was like a soft tugging in her body, leading her towards it. For whatever reason, though, she felt a constant yet very faint tug towards the west.

At first she thought that it might be because of the town of Forn, which was pretty close by and obviously held a lot of water as it had a river running right through it, but for some reason that didn't feel right. She decided that she would ignore it for now, though it did leave her curious.

Another ability that she found she could do was create a little jet of water, which, when aimed upwards, created a fine, cooling mist, like that of a very light rain. This was very appreciated by Gary and his father as they worked outside in the heat moving large crates and sacks, as well as furniture.

"If only she could do that earlier, while we were working in the fields," Gary joked. Charles laughed and agreed with a hum. Lura just giggled with them.

Eventually the day came to an end, and the family turned in for the night. Lura, however, was strangely awake. She decided that she would watch the sunset again, although by herself this time. As the sunlight faded and darkness crept on, Lura found that she was strangely… at home. It just felt right to her to be sitting out there, waiting for the stars and the moon.

When she could finally see the stars surrounding the moon, she just had to let out a small smile. It was every bit as beautiful as it was last night, when she had first looked at them. She found it strange that, in all the years that she had lived, she had never once looked at the stars before yesterday.

"To think that I missed out on such beauty, for so long," she murmured. She sat there for a while, looking at the stars and the moon, and she felt that she could understand why Wolfe liked them all so much. Indeed, she found that she liked them as well.

Lura sighed once more, before laying down and resting her head on her paws, eyes still focused on the stars. She stayed like that till she fell asleep, and dreamt.

* * *

 **[Lura's Dream]**

 _She was sitting at the top of a mountain, with the wind whipping all around her, blowing snow in her face and over her body. And yet, she didn't feel the cold, or the piercing wind which should have cut right through her thin fur. Instead, she felt warm and safe._

 _As she looked out from the mountain, she saw more mountains and ice and snow. In the valley below her she saw an army of men and pokemon, all marching in step. They all wore some form of grey armor, with black cloaks billowing out behind them as they marched in step. For whatever reason, she knew that they were off to a battle. Yet, she didn't feel any fear for them. Instead, she felt a sense of pride, as though she were somehow responsible for the magnificent sight of the warriors marching._

 _For they were her army, as she realized. Hers and her beloved's. She smiled softly as felt him next to her._

" _What do you think, love?" she heard him ask in his entrancing voice._

" _I think we did good, dear. We've raised a fine army, with soldiers worth at least six of any other. I think that it's safe to say that no one stands a chance," she replied to him._

 _He chuckled. "I agree completely. We will show them for trying to take what is ours."_

 _She nodded, and then turned to look at him to continue the discussion. All she saw was a dark figure with no detail, as though he was in the shadows. She smiled at him._

" _It's amazing how far we have come in so short of a time, all things considered. It seems like just last year that you and I met, yet I know it's been longer than that."_

 _He nodded, before saying, "You realize that we first met over ten years ago, right?"_

 _She looked at him, surprised. "Has it really been so long?"_

 _He laughed. "My love, when you live for as long as you will, you'll find that ten years is not so long as one might think."_

" _And how long am I to live then?" she questioned._

" _However long you want, my love."_

* * *

Lura woke breathing hard. That dream disturbed her for some reason. She did not like the thought of having her own army. In her dream, it seemed as though she were a Queen, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

 _Oh well,_ she thought. _It was just a dream._ She looked up at the sky to realize that it was still dark, with the stars still bright above her. She smiled softly. _I guess I was only asleep for a few hours._

As she laid her head down to go back to sleep, she felt a warm pressure on her back. She smiled softly as she fell asleep. _Gary probably brought out a blanket for me._ Then she fell back asleep.

Lura woke to birds chirping in the tree above her. She opened her eyes tiredly and yawned, before licking her lips and looking up. "Good morning," she said quietly. She then got up and stretched, shivering a little as the blanket covering her fell. She smiled and looked down at it before freezing.

It wasn't a blanket covering her. It was a cloak. Not just any cloak either.

It was Wolfe's cloak.

She stood there, staring at it for a moment, before a thought struck her. She immediately ran towards the house as fast as she could. _He said that we would have a month! It's only been two days!,_ she thought as she ran.

She got to the house and immediately bolted inside. Then she let out a sigh of relief. They were all at the table eating breakfast with each other, all alive and well. _I wonder what he was doing here then?_

She made her way to the table, saying "Good morning," as she went.

"Good morning Lura," Gary told her. "I was wondering where you were last night. Guess you decided to sleep outside. Weren't you cold?"

Lura shook her head and smiled at him.

He shrugged. "Well, alright then. Come get something to eat."

A while later when Lura went back to where she slept the night before, the cloak was gone.

The day passed quickly for Lura, with a lot of banter going around the house. Lura was slightly curious as to why everyone seemed so happy. Then she realized that they probably wanted to have only good memories left of each other. She couldn't fault them for that.

When the day ended Lura again stayed up outside to watch the sunset and the first of the stars, though she didn't stay out the whole night this time. Instead, she went inside and slept with Gary. This would almost certainly be the last night she had with him. She didn't dream that night, she just slept peacefully and contentedly.

When they woke up in the morning breakfast was somber. It was Lura's last breakfast with them, and they all knew it. Their last meal as a family.

Once everyone was finished, Gary started putting on his boots. "Would it be alright if we took the cart into town?" he asked.

Charles nodded. "Of course, have a safe trip you two. Son, I will see you when you get back, and Lura… take care of yourself alright?"

Lura nodded. "Good girl. I don't know if we'll ever see each other again, but if you're ever near Nor come visit, alright?" She nodded again.

As Lura and Gary left in the taouros pulled cart towards Forn, Lura couldn't help but shed a few tears as she saw her home fading away behind her. _Goodbye,_ she thought.

They were both quiet for a little over half the three-hour trip, before Gary started speaking.

"When we get there, I'm going to just take you straight to Stephen's, alright? I don't think that I will stop by on my way out, just because I might be in a hurry. But don't worry, you won't be alone. Stephen's surname is Bailey, and he has a wife and two kids, a daughter and a son. However, they are older and have their own homes elsewhere. The Bailey's have two pokemon, a jolteon named Talonko and a lucario named Rio. Stephen's wife's name is Betty, and she's an absolutely wonderful person, much like my mom. I think that you will like them all. They do live in town, however, so it will be a different environment than you are used to, but you should do fine. You're a smart girl, and I know you will be alright."

Lura nodded as she took in this information. She was excited to meet this Talonko, as she knew that one of an eevee's possible evolutions was a jolteon. She didn't know what they looked like, however. _I didn't even know what a vaporeon looked like, till I became one,_ she thought.

The rest of the ride passed with Gary telling her a bit about the city itself, as well as a bit of history, namely the Memory war. Forn was the capital of their territory, Foria, which was one of six territories, the others being Norovia, capital being Nor, Taria, which had it's capital named after it, Darvia, capital being Daric, Widia, who's capital is Durose, and Memoria, capital being Meldine.

"A few years before I was born, around 25 years ago I'd guess, Memoria, the largest of all the territories, decided that it would try and conquer the entire continent, starting with Widia, then moving on to Darvia and finally Taria, where they were stopped. Forn was one of the first townships to send aid to the war, something that we have always been proud of. We've been staunch allies with Darvia for years upon years, and we're on good terms with relatively all of the territories, barring Memoria of course."

"The war lasted a total of four years, in which time around 26,000 Allies lost their lives to the Memories. The Memories, however, made one mistake which cost them the war, although I hate to admit it." Gary was quiet for a bit. Then he said, "I don't want to defend that man, neither do I want to compliment him or stoke his ego, but despite what father thinks, I do know a lot about the Memory war." He was quiet again.

Then he sighed and said, "The Memories' mistake was in underestimating Wolfe's abilities. They went to him first and made him an offer, asking him to fight for them as he they were aware he was an amazing warrior. He told them that their price was much to low to win them a war, and told them to screw off unless they wanted to be serious. They decided that it wouldn't matter which side Wolfe fought on, one man couldn't make that much of a difference."

He laughed shortly. "Well, sometimes one man can turn into thousands. Mercenaries were largely kept out of the war, as no-one wanted to pay for their services, although they always make good soldiers. When we, as in the allies, came up to Wolfe to ask for his assistance, he told us his price. We were desperate, so of course we agreed, although it was an insane amount. I don't know the number off the top of my head, but I know it was large enough to buy the whole of Forn twice over. But we paid it."

He started chuckling and said, "Now imagine the Allies surprise when the war arrives to Taria and Wolfe shows up, but not alone. He has a huge reputation, and a lot of influence. He used that influence and reputation to convince every mercenary worth his salt to fight for him. He showed up to the battlefield, on the plains outside of Taria, with 10,000 mercenaries behind him. They charged headfirst into battle howling as a salute to Wolfe, who ran right at the head of it."

Gary paused to take a drink of water from his water skin before continuing, "Needless to say the Memories lost that battle. However, Wolfe didn't stop there. He lead his Mercenary Corps and the Allies all the way back to Meldine, where they then took the city after a week-long siege."

Gary sighed again. "I used to admire that man. Did all the research that I could on him. Yet now I wish he never existed." Gary was quiet again. "I know I don't stand a chance against him, Lura. I know that I will probably be killed. But I can't just leave. That's my home, my entire life. I can't just leave it."

 _I understand, Gary. I do. It's my home too,_ Lura thought. _Oh I wish you could understand me._ However, she knew that he couldn't and wouldn't ever be able to.

The rest of the trip was silent. Not to long after Gary stopped talking, Lura got her first look at a city.

Forn was huge. They were cresting a hill when she saw it, so she could see inside of the immense wall that separated the city from the wilderness. The wall itself was easily 100 meters tall and looked to be around 20 meters thick. Past the wall there were thousands of buildings, with people visible in the streets. Further in there was another wall, and beyond that what looked to be a castle. Lura just gaped at it all.

Gary laughed at her. "Amazing, isn't it? Biggest city in the territory and third largest in the region." He smiled at her. "This is going to be your new home for as long as you choose it to be."

Lura just nodded, still gaping at the sight. She couldn't understand how anyone, human or otherwise, could build something so immense. It was just awesome.

After cresting the hill it took another half hour just to reach the gated entrance, where they were stopped by a pair of guards.

"Name?" one asked as the other started searching the cart.

"Gary Peterson, son of Charles Peterson," Gary replied.

The guard looked at him for a second, then asked, "Did your old man fight in the Memory war by any chance?"

"That he did! Do you know him?"

"Aye, I know him. I was in the same company as him. Good man that. How is he doing?"

Gary shrugged. "He's still alive for the moment. However, due to a family emergency he and my mom are relocating to Nor"

The guard looked surprised. "Long distance to be traveling. Is everything alright?"

Gary shook his head. "No, that's partially why I'm visiting town. The other reason is to drop off Lura here," he pointed a thumb at her, "with a family friend."

The guard nodded understandingly. "Aye, don't want to be taking a young pokemon to far from her home." The guard studied Lura for a moment, before his eyes caught sight of the mark Wolfe left on her. He widened his eyes. "Well mighty blessed are you young one, to have received the protection of one so great!" the guard then chuckled. "Ah, you'll go far with that mark right there. If you ever need anything, young Vaporeon, don't be afraid to ask the guards pokemon for help. We'll be sure to do all we can."

Lura was shocked for a moment, but then she remembered her manners and smiled as she bowed her gratitude. Gary to looked surprised. "That's awfully kind of you sir," he said.

The guard shook his head with a smile. "Nay, it's the least we can do. After all, it's not every day that you get to meet one of the wolf's favorites!" he chuckled again. "That man saved my life multiple times. If you are special to him, then I'll treat you as one of my own kin."

Gary smiled when he said that. "I don't know how I can thank you for that sir. I was worried how Lura would be getting on in the city, as she has never been in one before. It's nice to know that she will be fine."

The guard smiled and then shook his head, "Don't worry about it." The other guard then signaled that they were clear. "Alright, you can go ahead Gary my boy, and tell your father Winston says hi!"

Gary smiled at him, and said, "Will do, and again, thank you!"

Gary shook the reigns and the cart rumbled forward again. As he guided them towards where they were going, Lura started drinking in all the sights. There were stalls on the streets everywhere, all selling some sort of goods. There were jewelry stalls, food stalls, trinket stalls and clothing stalls, as well as gambling stalls.

It was also loud and happy sounding. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and the air just seemed to radiate happiness. Lura couldn't help but smile because of it. From somewhere in the city there was the sound of music playing a cheerful tune. At one point they passed a large open space where there were hundreds of people dancing and clapping to a the music. Lura found herself wanting to go over there and join them, as it all looked so fun! She decided that she could be happy here. At the very least there was plenty to take her mind off things.

When they finally came to a halt outside of a rather large house away from all the noise and stalls, Lura was in a great mood. Something about the friendly atmosphere of the city just cheered her up.

"We're here," Gary told her. She nodded as she smiled at him. The house was a pleasant grey color, with flowers hanging out of the first and second story windows. It looked like it had a garden on the roof as well, although she couldn't be to terribly sure on that point, as she couldn't see the top of the house.

Gary led the way to the front door and knocked using the built-in handle. There was a shout of acknowledgement from somewhere in the house followed by the sounds of footsteps pounding down stairs. Soon enough the door opened, revealing a man who Lura took to be Stephen.

He was rather tall, taller than Charles and definitely taller than Lura. He had relatively short salt and pepper hair, and a cheerful looking face as he smiled at him. His eyes were a clear blue, which Lura thought suited him perfectly. As soon as he saw Gary his eyes widened. He stepped out of the door and pulled him into a hug.

"Gary! How are you doing young man?" he asked. Gary hugged him back as he laughed. "I'm doing fine for now. So are ma and pa."

Stephen put Gary at an arms-length and looked at him questioningly. "For now? What do you mean by that?"

Gary looked down at Lura for a second before looking back at Stephen. "Would it be alright if I talked to you inside? Away from Betty? It's kind of serious."

Stephen looked interested, and a little concerned, but he nodded anyway. "Of course! Betty is at the market for the moment, but Tal and Rio are here."

Gary nodded. "Those two are fine, I don't have to worry about them having an emotional breakdown. Also, this is Lura, whom I'm sure you remember me talking to you about."

Stephen nodded and smiled at her. "Greetings Lura. I'm sure Tal will be interested in meeting you. With that being said, come in, come in!"

Lura had to let out a little laugh as he rushed them inside. He led them through the house and to the dining room table. Immediately Lura could scent other pokemon, although she didn't know where they were at the moment. As soon as Gary and Stephen sat down, Stephen started talking.

"Alright Gary, I'm going to tell you straight up that I know you're in trouble. The fact that Lura has the wolf's mark is more than enough to let me know that. He doesn't give that mark to just anyone you know. He's only given it to three others, his partner being one of them. Who's after you and why?"

Gary looked surprised for a moment. Then he shook his head and said, "Well, that makes things simple. I don't know who is fully behind it, but the one being sent to kill us is the who you have mentioned."

Stephen's eyes widened again. "You mean someone has paid his price to kill you?! Who did you guys anger so much that they would go that far?"

Gary shook his head. "We don't know. Wolfe didn't tell us."

Stephen stared at him incredulously. "You mean to tell me that the wolf told you guys that someone was hiring him to kill you? Why?"

"We don't know. However, he told us that if we move to Nor he will not follow us. Said that the man wouldn't be able to pay his price for the distance."

"Ha! That sounds more like the Wolfe I know. So I'm guessing that you are here to tell me that you guys are moving to Nor? Because that is really your only other option other than death."

"My mom and dad are moving, but I am staying. I am here to call on one of the debts you owe my father. He told me to tell you that, if you take care of Lura, all other debts are paid off. Will you do that for us?"

Stephen looked at Lura for a split second before returning his gaze to Gary. "Of course!, She's always welcome here, especially as it provides a certain amount of protection for my own family. But Gary! Are you mad! You need to go with your parents, boy! You'll be slaughtered!"

Gary didn't acknowledge the second part of his statement, instead just saying, "Alright, thank you Stephen! You're a life saver, literally. Now I need to go and speak to the captain of the guard to request assistance. Have a great life Stephen!"

As he was speaking, Gary made his way to the door. Right as he finished speaking, he slammed the door shut, startling Lura and Stephen, who both just stared at the door in shock. Lura was hurt that he didn't even say goodbye to her. She sniffed once.

"It's alright dear. He's a smart boy. He'll come around, and when Wolfe gets there he will find no one home. Hell, the captain will pretty much order him to take his family to Nor. He'll be fine, you have my word on it," Stephen told her.

Lura looked at him sadly and nodded to show she understood. At that point they heard the sound of pawsteps coming down the stairs at a rapid pace. Then, from around the corner came yellow blur, moving much faster than Lura would have thought physically possible. It came to a halt at the door, before it turned around and ran into the kitchen before stopping at the door.

"Lura, meet Talonko, also called Tal. Tal, this is Lura. She's going to be staying with us for a while," Stephen told them. Lura gave him a small wave as he just stared at her with a slightly red tinge to his cheeks.

"Uh, hi there…" Lura said awkwardly. Still he just stared at her. Lura was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her. "Uhm, could you please stop that?" she asked him.

Finally he shook his head. "Oh, I'm sorry! I've just never seen a vaporeon before. Matter of fact the only other eevee evolutions I've seen are leafeon, sylveon and umbreon. We're kinda rare apparently. My sister is a leafeon, and my mother a sylveon. My father was a jolteon, but he isn't around anymore. And the umbreon that I've seen is Zero, he lives here in town. Anyway, hi! My name is Tal."

Lura put a paw over her mouth and giggled slightly. "It's nice to meet you Tal. My name is Lura."

Tal was the first jolteon she had ever seen. He was a little smaller than her, with mostly yellow fur, although around his neck he had some white fur making it appear as though he had a collar of sorts on him. His fur was slightly spiky looking and he didn't appear to have a tail. Overall she thought that he looked cute in a goofy sort of way.

Lura smiled at him. "And don't worry by the way, you're the first jolteon I've ever seen as well."

He grinned at her. "Great! That means that it's up to me to give you a good impression of us jolteons." Lura giggled at him again. He was very goofy. It was oddly charming.

Stephen just watched the exchange and laughed a little. "Well, I see that you are already getting to know one another. Tal, I'm putting you in charge of showing her around town, alright? You don't necessarily have to go out today, but at some point in the next couple of days you should, alright?"

Tal nodded at him. "Good. Alright you two, go do whatever it is that eeveelutions do."

 _Eeveelution? What's that,_ Lura wondered. _Oh wait. Eevee and Evolution. Duh._ She shook her head to clear. She faced Tal, who was looking at his paws contemplatively.

"So will you take me out and show me the town then?" she asked him.

"Sure! I would love to! We can go out now if you would like, otherwise we can wait a bit for Rio to wake up. Actually, now that I think about it we probably should go now so that we don't miss all of the fun stuff," was his reply.

Lura's head spun a bit. _He talks fast,_ she thought. She shook her head again. "Alright, lead the way!"

With that, Tal showed her the way to the market. She learned a bit about the town from him, and a lot about himself. His sisters name is Rose, and she lives more towards the center of town with their mother. Tal had chosen to stay with the Bailey's willingly after Stephen gave him some food and treated his leg when it was popped out of place. Tal was a very friendly guy, and she found herself enjoying his company, even if he did talk a bit fast.

When they reached the market about an hour after they left the house, the first thing Lura noticed was it was crowded. The second thing was that it was loud. And it was crowded.

Although Lura didn't really mind it. She enjoyed seeing all the people, even if it was a bit overwhelming. After a while of looking through all the stalls, Lura heard the sounds of loud laughter coming from a group of people surrounding something.

"Hey Tal," she called. Once she had his attention she continued. "What's that over there? What are those people and pokemon doing?"

"Oh, that's probably a fight ring. We can go check it out if you want to," he replied.

Lura thought for a moment, and then nodded. She didn't see the harm in it, so why not. Also, there was a lot of laughter going on there, so it must be funny.

As they weaved their way through the ring of people, Lura could hear the bellows of some large creature ahead. When she finally got to the front she just had to laugh. There, in the middle of a ring, was a a large grey and orange pokemon that she didn't recognize. It was obviously upset and it seemed to be looking for something. You didn't have to think to hard to realize what.

On his back a dark pokemon that looked a bit like her in shape. It had a solid black pelt with yellow rings on its shoulders and yellow bands around its ears and tail. It was smiling brightly as it stood on top of the large pokemon.

"Where are you Zero!" it shouted. "Show yourself!"

There was more laughter, and the pokemon just became even more angry.

"ZERO!" it shouted.

Finally the pokemon, whose name was apparently Zero, answered him in a masculine voice that radiated ease, "I'm right above you, dimwit."

The pokemon froze, and then growled loudly. "Damnit Zero! Get off me and fight me like a man!"

Zero laughed. "If you insist my friend.'

With that he leaped off the pokemon with enough force to send its head down into the dirt. Lura was impressed that he had that much strength in his legs. He landed on the opposite side of the field from Lura, putting the big pokemon in between them, causing her to lose sight of him. Due to that, she missed what he did next. She also didn't notice that all the people and pokemon around her had cleared out of the way. She was to focused on the fight.

There was a dark flash, which outlined the large pokemon, and suddenly it came hurtling towards Lura at a speed even faster than Tal. Lura realized immediately that she would not be able to dodge and knew that this would hurt. She closed her eyes and braced herself. A split second later she heard a grunt followed by a sickening crack. A moment after that there was a thud, followed by nothing. Then, cheers broke out.

Lura opened her eyes to see the tail of the dark pokemon from earlier in front of her. He was holding his forepaws out and had a clear barrier in front of him, which stopped the pokemon from crushing her. She just blinked in shock. _How did he get all the way over here that fast!?_ The pokemon known as Zero's right leg was at an odd angle, and as he dropped the barrier and put his paws on the ground, he immediately lifted his right one back up. It was clear that he broke it.

He looked back at Lura and they made eye contact for a second. His eyes were a deep shade of red, which she thought suited his appearance very well. Then he grinned and winked at her, before hopping across the ring of cheering people and pokemon towards a bored looking pokemon she recognized as a gallade.

Lura felt her cheeks heat up a little bit as she watched him leave. Then Tal was there asking her if she was aright

"I'm fine," she said. "But it looks like that pokemon broke his leg!"

"Serves him right, putting you in danger like that! That's Zero, the umbreon I was telling you about earlier by the way. He's had worse than this before. Now come on, let's go home. It'll be dark in around an hour."

* * *

 **And done. So what do you all think? Do you like my characters? You will get to see more of Tal in the next chapter don't you worry. Also, no SSG Wolfe in this chapter. The next chapter with him in it will probably be chapter 4. That's just to give you guys more backstory on Wolfe as a person, so you know some of what he's been through. With that being said, please review! I want to hear your guys' opinion's on things. Also, it means a lot to me that you guys do. That being said, see ya next chapter! Also, a thank you to St Elmo's Fire for pointing out a few errors of mine, which I totally missed, such as the incorrect format of the stories title. Talk about embarrassing. But seriously, thank you. I tried to work on some of the things you pointed out to me.  
**

 **-Aurumn**


	4. Chapter 3: Zero

**A/N: Hey all, Aurumn here. Just going to touch up on a few things so that y'all are aware. Firstly, while there are many secondary goals to this story, the primary one is to take my mind off of my PTSD. As such, the tone of the story might change depending on my mood. Also, going to warn you all now that Zero's personality will be based on my personality, mainly because it will be easier to write him like that. That being said, I guarantee that some people will end up not liking him, and he will probably offend a couple people as well, just because I know that my personality is a little… eccentric I suppose. Just felt like I should warn you guys.  
**

 **That said, on with the story! Thanks to all of you for reading, it means a lot to me, and also thank you to those who review. Makes me more motivated to write more!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliates. I do, however, own my OC's and my story.**

* * *

 **[POV: Lura, 914 BBF]**

 _ **{Welcome back. That didn't take long.}**_

 _ **[Yeah, yeah, just send me back.]**_

On the way back to the Bailey residence, Lura's thoughts were filled with images of the battle in the market, and Zero's broken leg. _How did he get over to me so fast,_ she wondered. _And then he broke his leg and didn't even flinch! Who is he exactly?_

She also couldn't help but remember his eyes as he looked at her. And then of course there was the wink. _What was that about? Was he flirting?_ Lura was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice that Tal was talking to her. That is, until he poked her with a paw.

Lura jumped slightly. "Oh! I'm sorry, what did you say? I was thinking," she explained.

Tal looked at her confusedly, before shrugging and saying, "I just asked what you thought of the city. This is your first time in one, is it not?"

Lura nodded. "Yes it is, and I have to say that I like it! The air is so cheerful, and no-one seems to be angry."

Tal grinned, before saying, "Well I'm glad you like it! And a lot of Forn is very friendly, unless you go to the eastern part of town. There's a lot of crime over there, but it's to be expected in a city of this size."

Lura frowned. "What kind of crime exactly?" she asked.

"Mostly just thievery and a bit of violence. Someone did get murdered there, but that was a while ago, four years probably."

"Who killed them and why?"

Tal shrugged before replying, "Not sure on both accounts. No-one was ever caught and there was no clear motive. Some of the guardsmen think that someone paid to have the guy killed, but there was no clear evidence of that."

Lura frowned. "Strange."

Suddenly, Tal grinned at her, before asking in a cheeky voice, "So what were you thinking about?"

Lura blushed slightly for some reason, then said, "Well, I was thinking about that pokemon, Zero. I mean, he broke his leg protecting me, and then acted like it was nothing! Who is he anyway?"

A shadow flitted across Tal's eyes for a moment as he frowned. He turned back towards the road before replying, "I don't know a whole lot about him other than he's a bad 'mon."

Lura's eyes widened slightly. "What do you mean he's a bad 'mon?"

Tal shrugged again, then said, "I'm not a fan of him. I don't like his arrogance or his personality. Mostly, though, I don't like his disregard for others."

"What do you mean by that?"

He sighed. "A while ago my sister, Rose had a thing for him. She chased after him for months, trying to get him to court her. He steadily refused, until I think he just got annoyed. They courted each other for a few months, until they took their relationship to the next step. Then he started becoming more distant, not as interested in the relationship. Finally he cut things off between them, leaving my sister heartbroken. She still hasn't recovered from that."

Lura was shocked. "That's horrible!"

Tal nodded. "I know. That's why I say I'm not a fan of him. But for whatever reason people still love him."

Lura took a moment to process this. _So Zero isn't a very good or nice pokemon._ This made her sad for some reason. Then a couple other questions occurred to her. "So how old is he then? And where does he live?"

Tal shook his head. "No one really knows. He doesn't talk about himself a whole lot, if at all. As for where he lives, he lives up near High Point, which is that castle over there," he nodded his head in it's direction before continuing. "Supposedly he's very well off, which is unusual for a pokemon of any kind. Most live with a human, but he just lives with his gallade friend named Gabe. I never really talked with Gabe, but he seems to be a decent sort. Most gallade's are, what with their honor and all."

Lura nodded, showing that she understood all of what he said. This conversation made her even more curious of the mysterious umbreon. She wondered if she would ever meet him in person, or if the market incident would be the only kind. After hearing what he did to Tal's sister, Lura wasn't sure that she wanted to know him. But she was still curious.

The rest of the walk home passed in mostly silence, except from the occasional comment from Tal about some part of the city. When they arrived back at Lura's new home, it was night-time.

"Is there a way for us to get onto the roof? I want to look at the stars, but there's too much light down her," Lura asked Tal.

The jolteon nodded, saying, "Yeah! Come-on, I'll show you."

With that he bolted inside of the house through a flap in the door, apparently for that very purpose. Lura didn't take a whole lot of time to think on it though, as she was too busy chasing after a yellow blur.

After running up two sets of stairs, and then down a hallway, Lura saw Tal waiting next to another door. The jolteon smiled at her.

"Come-on slowpoke! You can run faster than that!"

Lura just gasped for air. She decided that she wasn't the most fit vaporeon in the world at that moment. _I need to work on that,_ she thought.

Tal laughed at her. "Alright, so through this door is the roof. Normally these doors don't have flaps, so they can be kind of tricky to open, but after a month or so of living here Stephen had one installed. Before you go out though, do you know where you will be sleeping?"

Lura shook her head. Tal smiled at her. "Well no worries. Can you make your way back to the kitchen? I can set up some blankets for you as a makeshift bed before I turn in for the night."

Lura smiled at him, grateful for his generosity. "Thank you! And yes, I can find my way back to the kitchen. Just down both stairs and to the right, right?"

Tal nodded. "You got it! Alright, I'll go make your bed and then turn in. See you in the morning!" And with that he took off down the hall.

Lura just smiled and shook her head at the charming jolteon. He was certainly very friendly. She turned around and went through the flap that served as a quadruped door.

Once outside, she immediately looked around the roof. There was a stone bench near the edge of it, as well as a little garden towards the center. Lura smiled again as she saw the flowers. It reminded her of the time Gary's mom attempted to grow them, which ended horribly as she had no experience with gardening or farming in general. She always left that stuff to Gary and his dad.

Lura made her way over to the bench and jumped onto it, before sitting down, curling her tail around her front paws as she did so. She admired the view of the city for a moment, looking at all the houses seemingly connected to each other, although some were taller than others. Then she looked up at the moon and the stars.

They were a lot clearer up here than they were down on the street. She sighed happily as she gazed at them, still amazed at how beautiful they were. _To think it took a stranger to get me to notice them,_ she thought.

"How is it that such a gorgeous pokemon is living in my city, and I never noticed?" a voice suddenly cut in through the silence.

Lura let out a squeak and immediately turned around to face where the voice came from. Needless to say, she was very surprised when she saw who it was.

Standing there, right forepaw in a splint, was Zero, the umbreon. He had a slight, confident grin on his face as he looked at her, red eyes gazing into her dark ones. Lura found that she couldn't speak for a moment, as she finally processed what he had said to her. Then she blushed deeply and hid her face behind her tail.

Zero chuckled at her. "Oh, there's no need to be shy gorgeous. Although I must say, you look positively stunning when you blush."

Lura blushed even deeper, before she found her voice. "Wha-what are you doing here? And how did you get up here?"

He looked over his side to that of another building, before turning back to face her. "Believe it or not, I was actually on my way home, when I saw you sitting there all by your lonesome. I felt that it would be a crime to leave such a beautiful pokemon feeling left out. And as for how I got here, the building's in this city are quite close together. Makes roof hopping very easy. So what's gorgeous pokemon such as yourself doing up so late?"

Lura bristled slightly. "And what makes you think that I wanted company, let alone yours?"

For a split second his eyes widened, as though he hadn't expected a response like that. Then his expression went back to normal and he frowned at her. "I must say that I'm not entirely sure what I did to offend you. If it's about the market earlier, I'm sorry about that, but I honestly didn't know that there was someone there who didn't know to get out of the way. Regardless, you weren't injured, so I don't think that should be enough to have you upset with me. Not the best of first impressions I know, but certainly not the worst."

Lura shook her head. "No, it's nothing you did to me. Tal just told me a bit about you and your history with pokemon. I'm not a fan of how you treated his sister."

For a second confusion filled his eyes, until it cleared as realization dawned on him. Then his face went simply neutral as he started to speak again. "I wouldn't believe everything that you hear, least of all about me. Especially when it comes from Tal. While he has good reason to not like me I will admit, his judgement is biased. You would do well to not judge someone until you get both sides of the story."

Lura stared at him, chastised. Then he continued speaking.

"As for the situation with Rose, I told her repeatedly that I wasn't looking for a serious relationship. The damn girl is too determined though, so I decided to just see how it went. After a night when I had a bit too much alcohol, we ended up mating. Please note that I was not in my right mind. After that, she immediately went and bragged to absolutely all of her friends, which made my life annoying beyond belief. So I ended things."

Lura just looked at him dumbfounded. Then she shook herself and asked, "Uh, what's alcohol?"

This time it was Zero's turn to look at her dumbfounded. "You're obviously new to the city, aren't you?"

She blushed and nodded. "I just got here today actually."

He shook his head disappointedly. "You poor, innocent vaporeon. Speaking of which, what's your name?"

"It's Lura," she said. "And I wouldn't say that I'm innocent. I just don't know certain things. Like what alcohol is."

Zero shook his head again. "I suppose that's actually normal for most pokemon. A lot of us don't really experiment with human substances. I do, but then again I'm not like most pokemon."

As Zero was speaking, he started walking towards Lura before jumping up next to her. Lura shied away from him, although she didn't move.

"Any case, it's not important what alcohol is. Just know that it messes with your head, and makes your decision-making skills nonexistent."

He started leaning towards Lura a little bit. Not a whole lot, just enough for her to notice and be slightly nervous, although not entirely uncomfortable. For whatever reason, she didn't really mind him being so close to her. Although she didn't have to let him know that.

"So you never answered my question," he whispered to her.

Lura suddenly found it hard to breath. "Wha-what qu-question w-would that b-be?" she asked.

He pressed his side against hers gently before answering, "What a gorgeous vappy such as yourself is doing up so late?"

Lura felt her heart pounding in her chest as she fought to breath normally. _Why is my body acting like this!? This has never happened to me before! What do I do!_ Lura decided the best course of action would be to just answer his questions and to stop stammering.

She breathed deeply before answering, "Well, I just like the night-time. I like the moon and the stars and peacefulness of it all."

Zero placed his tail over hers as he leaned more firmly into her side, which made her lean back so that she stayed balanced.

"Not very many pokemon who aren't dark types enjoy the night sky. It's wonderful that such a beautiful pokemon like yourself is not so ignorant as to assume that the night is bad. It's quite refreshing actually," he complimented.

Lura was starting to relax a little bit. She smiled slightly, enjoying his contact. At the very least it blocked what little chill there was in the night air. Plus, he smelled rather nice.

She decided to just enjoy his company for the moment, and completely relaxed into his side. Zero let out a happy murr as she did so.

"So may I ask you a question Lura?" he asked her.

"I don't see why not," she told him.

"I noticed that you are marked by the wolf. I wasn't aware that he had marked any vaporeon. How did you get it?"

Lura was shocked that he even noticed the mark, let alone that he was aware of who Wolfe had and had not marked. She decided to just answer his question.

"Well, he actually marked me when I was an eevee, not to long ago actually. I evolved that same night, although we aren't sure how. I think it had something to do with being marked."

Zero frowned slightly. "That's strange. That hasn't happened to any that he's marked before. I wonder what makes you different?"

Lura stared at him, surprised. "Wait, do you personally know him?"

Zero chuckled. "Well that's one way of putting it. In all actuality, we are quite close. We technically live in the same house, although he isn't around as much as I am."

It was at this point that Lura realized that their muzzles were very close to being connected. She blushed brightly although she didn't move. For some reason, she got a sudden urge to close that gap.

Just as she was about to do something, Zero put his paw on her mouth, stopping her from moving or talking. He chuckled a little bit.

"Probably too soon to be doing that, don't you think? You should probably save that for someone special to you, no?"

Lura just blushed even brighter as she started to focus again. For some reason, all of her sense had gone out the window, and she had almost kissed him.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," she said.

He just laughed at her. "Don't worry about it dear. It happens a lot, so don't feel bad. Now, I think it's about time that you get some sleep, no? You must be tired, what with you just moving today and all. I'll see you around gorgeous. And I would keep this little meeting to yourself. Some pokemon might get the wrong idea."

With that, Zero placed a light kiss on her cheek, winked at her, and then trotted off into the night. Lura could only stare after him in shock, paw going to where his maw had touched her as her brain turned to mush.

 _What… what just happened,_ she thought. Her cheek tingled slightly where he had kissed it, and Lura found that, for the life of her, she couldn't form very coherent thoughts. She sat like that for a long time.

Eventually she realized that she should indeed probably go to bed, and shook herself. Then she smiled slightly and made her way inside to sleep.

 **[POV: Zero]**

 _How curious,_ he thought. He had been thinking about Lura for a long time. He was slightly concerned that she was so quick to want that kind of contact, but decided that there wasn't much he could do about that. After all, he knew that he had a strange aura about him that made people like him more than they really should. For instance, the jolteon Tal.

 _Now that was an interesting night,_ he thought. _I really should learn to limit myself on alcohol. Not my fault that it leads to fun times, but still._ He let out a small chuckle at his thoughts. Then he landed on his broken leg wrong, and let out a yelp as his face dug into the dirt.

"Uggghhh…" he groaned. "Of course, right as I get home I do something stupid to it."

"Well maybe you should actually rest an injury like that for once. I don't talk just to hear my own voice, unlike some people I might mention," a voice suddenly cut in. Zero glared up at the gallade who was staring at him with mild amusement in his eyes, as well as a good deal of frustration. Zero frowned at him.

"Fuck you, Gabe. I don't talk to listen to my own voice, I talk so others can listen to it. There's a difference you know," he told him.

The gallade laughed at him. "Of course, my mistake! How could I be so wrong?" He grinned at the umbreon on the floor. "Would you like some help, dear cripple?"

"Fuck off," came the short reply. Zero hauled himself to his feet and studied his broken leg for a moment. "You know, broken legs are a real bitch."

"What? A broken bone leads to pain and awkwardness? Who would of thought?!" Gabe said with a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up asshole. Not like I had a whole lot of choice in the matter," Zero muttered.

"You could have let her take the hit."

Zero snorted. "Yeah, right. If it broke my leg, I guarantee that it would have broken far more if it had hit her."

The gallade smiled. "That might be so, but you could still have let it hit her. Always a choice, my friend. Not saying you made the wrong one, but still. Always another option."

Zero glared at him. "She's marked you asswipe."

The gallades eyes widened. "Wait, that was her?!"

There was another glare aimed at the gallade. "You should have known that, dipshit. You saw her before I did. After all, you put that cloak on her when she slept outside a few nights ago."

Gabe sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, looking embarrassed. "Uhm… oops?"

Zero snorted. Then he laughed a little bit. "Oh well, it's not like it's that big of a deal. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. You just make them more often than most."

This time it was Gabe's turn to glare at Zero. "I'm not the one who decided to go on a night stroll when I had a broken leg, now am I?"

Zero frowned slightly and sighed. "Point," he said.

The gallade shook his head with amusement. "So how was our adorable little eeveelution then?"

Zero grinned. "Why, I'm just fine thank you! I mean, I did break my leg earlier today, but that's about it. Thank you for asking!"

Gabe glared at him. "I meant the cute one."

Zero's grin widened. "Awh, you think I'm cute? That's so sweet of you! And here I thought you hadn't noticed!"

"Fuck you."

Zero laughed loudly. "I know, I know. I'm a catch, what can I say? Any case, Lura is fine. Tal told her some stuff about me apparently, so she wasn't too terribly happy to see me at first."

Gabe raised an eyebrow. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. You need to learn to keep it in your metaphorical pants my friend. Then maybe he wouldn't have such an issue with you."

Zero frowned. "Hey, he came onto me first. I never make the first move. If he couldn't handle it then he shouldn't have asked."

The gallade sighed exasperatedly. "I meant with Rose."

"We both know that that's not the real reason why he doesn't like me."

"Well then maybe you shouldn't introduce pokemon to alcohol. It wasn't exactly made for us you know."

Zero shrugged with a slight smile. "Says who?"

Gabe glared at him. "Says every sane creature everywhere that knows what it is."

Zero waved a paw dismissively. "Meh, sanity is overrated."

Gabe sighed and shook his head. "What am I going to do with you."

The umbreon grinned. "Love me, and hug me, and pet me, and feed me food."

Gabe laughed, still shaking his head. He couldn't help it. "Anyways, what else happened?"

Zero chuckled. "Not a whole lot really. I showed her the error of her ways, and then we got along famously."

"Is that so now?"

He nodded. "Mhm. And then she tried to kiss me."

Gabe snorted. "Ha! You know, for some reason that doesn't surprise me. I really don't know how you do it."

"I could give you some pointers if you'd like."

The gallade glared at him again. "I have a mate, thank you very much."

Zero shrugged. "I'm just saying that I could help you spice things up in the bedroom."

"You're a one minded dog, you know that right?"

He frowned. "I prefer the term open."

Gabe stared at him blankly. "Yeah, right. Open, my ass."

"Whoa now, didn't you just say you had a mate?"

The gallade groaned loudly. "Ugghhhh. You're absolutely impossible when you're in this mood, I hope you know that."

Zero's grin faded to be replaced with a serious expression. "I know old friend, but if I didn't think you could handle it, I wouldn't do it. That being said, we have a bit of work to do."

The gallade's face turned serious as well. "Another contract?"

"Not so much a contract as a personal interest. I want to know a bit more about this guy who want's the Peterson's dead. They don't exactly have a whole lot to hate them about."

"So you meant that I had work to do, not we?"

"Well, I mean, I do have a broken leg after all. The contact said he wanted Gary Peterson and his family dead. He said Gary. Not his parents, Gary. What exactly did he get into that made someone hate him enough to want him dead? And see if you can't compel the kid to move with his parents. I really don't feel like killing him."

"You got it partner." With that the gallade brought his hands together and vanished without a sound.

 **[POV: Lura, the next day]**

Lura woke with a yawn, before looking around her surroundings, slightly confused. _This isn't Gary's room,_ she thought. Then she remembered. _Oh, right. I'm in Forn now._ She got to her feet and stretched gracefully. Then she padded over to a wall and jumped on the windowsill so she could stare out.

It looked quiet outside. The sun was shining, although it couldn't have been up for more than a few hours, and there were a few clouds in the sky. Overall, she thought that it looked like it would be a nice day.

She heard pawsteps coming down the stairs, and turned to face them. They sounded too heavy to be Tal's, so she assumed that it was Rio, the lucario who she hadn't met yet.

As soon as the pawsteps rounded the corner, she saw that she was right. Rio was a relatively tall bipedal canine, that had most blue fur, though she also saw that he had lighter fur around his paws and chest. He had a spike on the back of each paw, as well as a larger one in the center of his chest. Overall, she thought he looked intimidating.

They stared at each-other for a moment, before he continued his trek to the kitchen. There, she heard cupboards being opened and closed. She just stared after him, perplexed. _Uhm, alright then._

Rio did his own thing in the kitchen for a while, as she just stared out the window. She soon caught the scent of food being made, and she had to say that it smelled delicious. After yet a little more time she heard more footsteps coming down the stairs, as well as the sound of a hyperactive jolteon.

"Foooooooooood!" Tal yelled as he rounded the corner, charging straight into the kitchen, blowing right past Lura as she stared after him. Then he came running back to her and stood in front of her, seeming to vibrate with energy.

"Good morning Lura! It's great to see you!" and then he charged back into the kitchen. Lura let out a little giggle at his antics.

"I'm sorry about that," she heard Stephen say, as he and his wife had both come down the stairs as well. They both smiled at her sheepishly. "He has a lot of energy, but that's why we love him I guess."

Lura just nodded with a smile. He certainly seemed to be very loveable. The Bailey's smiled at her warmly, before Betty came up to her and stroked her behind her ear-fins.

"Stephen told me about your situation, and I have to say that it's great to finally meet you, though I wish it would have been under happier circumstances. Despite what he's done for all of us, I still don't think that it's right what Wolfe is doing. All we can do is hope for the best, I suppose."

Lura just nodded as she closed her eyes in bliss, enjoying the attention. Betty smiled softly before making her way to the kitchen as well.

"Come on Lura, let's get some breakfast," Stephen told her, before walking into the kitchen as well. Lura jumped off the windowsill and followed him.

Once there she saw that the table had been set with fine silverware and plates. Tal was sitting in a taller chair than normal, and Lura saw that there was another tall chair next to him. Once he saw her, Tal called her over.

"Lura! You can sit right here," he said, gesturing to the tall chair next to him. Lura smiled at him as she made her way over, before jumping onto it. Then she faced the table, waiting.

"Did you ever eat at the table at your old place, or were you made to eat on the floor?" Tal asked her.

"Well, Charles tried to make me a taller seat at one point so that I could join them, but he isn't the best with tools, so it collapsed after only two days. But I didn't mind eating on the floor. They still gave me a plate or bowl."

Tal smiled. "Well, at least they sound like they care! Here we always eat breakfast and dinner as a family, noon meal we usually fend for ourselves. Yesterday we had dinner earlier, so you missed it then. Sorry about that by the way."

"It's no problem," Lura told him. "It's not like you guys knew I was coming."

He nodded. "I'm glad you're very understanding. Now, just to warn you, I love Rio's cooking, so it's not really my fault if some of your food somehow ends up on my plate." Then he winked at her.

For some reason, that reminded her of Zero, and she found herself blushing a little bit. Tal grinned at her.

After everyone had sat down and Rio placed food on their plates, before sitting down himself, everyone started eating. Lura was happy to see that there was also some discussion going on at the table. Rio still didn't say anything, but Lura decided that it was his choice if he wanted to speak or not.

She was talking to Tal about what life on the farm was like, when they heard a knock at the door. Stephen and Betty exchanged confused looks, before Stephen shrugged and stood up, making his way to the entryway. Due to the layout of the house, Lura wasn't able to see the door, so she just had to listen.

She heard it open, followed by Stephen starting to greet them, before his voice died out. Then she heard him speak again.

"Do I have a reason to hate you?" he asked. Then she felt a slight twinge as she heard the visitor speak.

"No you do not, old friend. I am merely here to deliver news, none of which is bad. May I come in?" Wolfe asked.

"I don't see why not. Come in, we're eating breakfast at the moment, you can join us if you'd like," Stephen offered.

"Thank you for the offer, but I will decline. I ate something earlier today."

Lura heard footsteps coming towards the kitchen, and watched the entrance anxiously. _Why is he here?! What does he want?_ Finally the two men entered the room, and Lura saw Wolfe for the second time in her life.

He wasn't wearing his cloak this time, he was wearing some sort of armor. Lura felt a slight tingle in the back of her mind as she remembered her dream. The armor looked almost exactly the same, minus the helmet, as he wasn't wearing one. She wondered what that meant. She noticed Betty glaring as she saw him, standing up and looking like she was getting ready to yell at him. Before she could, however, Wolfe held up a gauntleted hand.

"Peace, Betty. You have no reason to be upset, as I have not done anything. I just came to speak to Lura," he told her. Lura looked at him worriedly.

"And how exactly did you know where she was staying? We certainly didn't tell you," Betty asked him. Wolfe looked at her like she was stupid.

"Betty dear, you really are smarter than that. She bears my mark. I will always know where she is at," he reminded her.

Betty sat back down, looking slightly embarrassed. Wolfe chuckled.

"So that's the great Wolfe?" Tal asked Lura, a little loudly. She didn't even have to respond, as Wolfe did it for her.

"I don't know that great would be the appropriate word, but I am Wolfe, yes," he told him. Tal just stared at him, stupefied, as did Rio.

For the first time since she met him, Lura heard the silent lucario speak. "You can understand pokemon?" he asked him.

Wolfe looked at him and nodded. "Yes, I can."

Rio stared at him with awe. Wolfe turned back to Lura.

"I have news for you which should make your life a little brighter. Gary has decided that he won't be staying at your old home. He's moving with his parents to Nor, and I stand by my word. I will not go that distance for the price my contact was wanting to pay, neither does he have the money to cover the extra cost. They are safe from me."

Lura let out a little squeal of delight and launched herself into Wolfe's arms before even thinking about it. He caught her easily, although he looked at her, slightly confused. She blushed.

"Well, while I expected you to be happy about that, I didn't expect you to leap into my arms." He chuckled at her, before stroking her side softly. Even though it was a little awkward, Lura found that she didn't really regret her actions. Didn't make it any less embarrassing though.

"S-sorry! I don't know why, but I've been having trouble controlling myself recently," she told him.

He just smiled at her. "Don't worry about that, I suspect it has something to do with my mark, as it does tie us together. But it shouldn't really be a problem with others."

 _Then what about Zero last night?_ He continued to stroke her gently, causing her to close her eyes slightly. Then he sat down, still holding her. He was then spoken to by Stephen, who had been quiet for a while.

"You haven't changed a bit old friend. Your demon side is starting to show," he told him.

Wolfe chuckled. "We both know how true that is. And you, my friend, have a lot more grey in your hair now."

Stephen shook his head with a laugh. "That's what happens with normal people, demon. We grow old."

Wolfe nodded with a light grin, "Who's to say that I don't get old?"

Stephen grinned. "I do."

Lura just stared at them as they laughed together, shocked. "Wait, what?"

Wolfe looked down at her, still smiling. "You asked how old I was, Lura. Well, I'm somewhere around 96 years old."

Stephen cut in, saying, "Cheating bastard, still looks like he's 25."

Wolfe laughed. "I can't help that I'll stay handsome forever."

"Because you're a big cheat."

They laughed together again. It was obvious that they were good friends at some point in their past, but Lura was still trying to process what she just found out.

"So… are you immortal?" she asked him.

He looked down at her with a small frown. "It's complicated, Lura."

She frowned. "But will you live forever."

He shrugged, and scratched behind her ear-fins. "Who's to know? Forever is a long time Lura."

Lura still struggled with this. The idea that someone might live forever was just… incomprehensible. Death wasn't something that she had thought about a whole lot, but she still knew that she would die at some point.

Wolfe stayed to talk with Stephen and Betty for a while, holding Lura the entire time. She didn't say much for a while, still trying to process his age, but eventually, once Tal and Rio stepped outside to run a few errands in town, she decided to ask him a bit about Zero.

"So do you know Zero?" she asked.

Wolfe nodded, with a slight smile. "That I do. I'm pretty sure that you were told we live together. Did you not believe him?"

Lura blushed a little bit. "No, it's not that. I just wasn't thinking very clearly last night for whatever reason. I… I'm not sure what I think of him to be honest."

Wolfe just nodded understandingly, giving her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry to much about it. What do you think of him as a pokemon though?"

"Well… I guess I don't really know him that well. Tal doesn't like him, and he's really the only other pokemon that I've talked to."

Wolfe nodded again. "Well, my advice would be to just spend time with him. You're always welcome at my home, and you can usually find him there. Otherwise, just ask around."

Lura just nodded, unsure of what to say or do. Wolfe just smiled slightly again. "I should probably be leaving. If you ever need anything, just ask."

With that he set her down gently, before standing and shaking hands with Stephen. He went to go shake hands with Betty, but she swatted it away and pulled him into a hug.

"Don't wait so long to visit again, you hear? You're always welcome here, especially after you helped out the Peterson's. Yes, I know you were being hired to kill them, but you didn't. Instead, you warned them. So thank you. Stay safe, alright?" she told him.

Wolfe apparently didn't know how to respond, so he simply nodded and said, "Always."

Then he made his way to the door. Lura followed him, and right before he left he bent down to stroke her again. "I'll see you around, and try to enjoy yourself, alright?"

She nodded, saying, "I will, and thank you for not killing my family."

He chuckled softly. "You realize that that's a very unusual thing to thank someone for. But nonetheless, you're very welcome. I wasn't to keen on doing so myself." Then he was gone.

Lura stared at the door for a bit, before turning around and going back to the kitchen. The day had just started for her, and it was already one of the better ones she'd had in recent times. She smiled slightly as she waited for Tal to be home. She'd ask him to show her where Wolfe and Zero lived, and perhaps she could persuade them to get along with each other.

* * *

 **Alright, three chapters down! It's amazing how fast I've been writing these. I take roughly two days to write a chapter, but I don't know how long I will keep that up. I'm going to try to upload at least 2 chapters a week. I type fast, and my chapters are only around 6000 words each, so it should be very easy, provided work doesn't throw me off. I do work a lot, so that's unfortunate, but I have to pay the bills somehow. You should know what to expect next chapter, a confrontation between Tal and Zero! Can anyone guess what happened? Also, I mentioned alcohol in this chapter. Yeah, as I said, I'm not a saint. One of the little character stories I wrote in this chapter is actually based on something that happened to me a while ago. Talk about awkward. Any case, Tal will get more light in the next chapter, as will Rio, but he won't be as major a character so he won't get as much. Also, I decided I will include Wolfe's history every 5 chapters. So expect that on chapter 5. Alright, please review and tell me what I can do to improve! Also, thanks to Writer4fun for being supportive, I appreciate it. See you all next chapter!**

 **-Aurumn**


	5. Chapter 4: A New Life

**A/N: Hey all, Aurumn again. So over 100 views! In just 3 days! Talk about awesome! So just going to say a big thank you to everyone for reading my story. I realize that in chapter 2 I said that Tal would get more screen time in the last chapter, however I decided that I should really introduce Zero, as he has more "depth" to him. At least for the moment anyway. I'm not the best at creating characters in my opinion, so that's something I'm going to be trying to work on. Tal will be a perfect opportunity for that. My only issue is, I'm not a very hyperactive individual, so writing a character that is, is a challenge. I like challenge's though ;). Alright, now on to the chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **[POV: Zero, 914 BBF]**

 _ **{How are you doing?}**_

 _ **[Still alive. Kind of.]**_

Zero stared at the duo that consisted of a jolteon and a lucario and judged them silently. They were in the market again, looking at necklaces. Now, Zero didn't have a problem with that. What his problem was that they were looking at the flashier ones. With lots of colors. Ew.

 _The real question,_ he thought, _is if the necklace is for themselves._ He decided that the best way to solve his problem was to go talk to them.

"Which one though? We don't exactly have a lot of money," Tal was saying.

"This is your idea Tal. If you aren't sure what she likes, then why buy her anything? Maybe you should wait to get to know her a bit more, don't you think?" came Rio's serious reply.

"But I want to get her something! I'm hoping it will make her feel more welcome, as yesterday probably wasn't the best of days for her."

The lucario sighed. "You realize that we've been here for two hours, right?"

Tal nodded. "I know, but I don't want to be there while Wolfe is. The guy unnerves me for some reason."

"I'm sure that he's gone by now! It's almost noon!"

Zero laughed. He couldn't help it, the poor lucario seemed totally done with the jolteon's antics. Side effect of him doing so, however, was that both pokemon heard him and stiffened.

Tal turned to face him at a speed only a jolteon could manage, and glared at him.

"What do you want, Zero?" he asked haughtily.

Zero raised an eyebrow, still chuckling slightly. "Can't I just be at the market?"

Rio growled at him. "You don't need to be near us, however."

Zero shrugged. "Maybe not, but I'm not exactly here to cause trouble. Merely noticed you two at a jewelry stall and was curious as to why two manly men were looking at such _colorful_ jewelry. Shopping for a certain lady friend, hmm?"

Tal glared at him. "And why do you care?"

He shrugged, then said, "No particular reason that I'm willing to share. However, if you'd like advice I could help you."

At this, Tal just glared even harder, while Rio saw a light at the end of the dark tunnel.

"Yes!' the lucario said quickly. Tal turned his shocked glare back to him.

Zero smiled. "Of course, why not. What's your budget?"

Rio had a grateful look in his eye as he answered, ignoring any and all complaints coming from the jolteon. "We have 260 poke between us."

Zero frowned slightly. That limited options considerably, and if there was one thing he hated, it was limited options. He shook his head.

"Is this for your beautiful new housemate?" he asked.

Rio nodded while Tal just glared at him. Zero shrugged.

"Alright, let's not worry about price. I'll cover it." He told them.

Rio's eyes widened in gratitude while Tal's narrowed suspiciously.

"Why would you do that?" the jolteon asked him.

"Let's just say that I feel bad about almost injuring her yesterday. She's lucky that I'm as fast as I am," he replied, while slightly lifting his splinted leg to show it off.

This answer seemed to settle Tal's suspicions as he nodded. "Well then thank you. I still don't like you though."

Zero waved a paw dismissively. "You should really just get over that night. Neither of us could control our actions really, so don't dwell on it. Besides, chicks dig a guy that's open minded. You should tell Lura that story sometime. See what happens," he told him with a wink.

Tal blushed a deep crimson and started stammering. At this point Zero ignored him and turned back to the task at hand. Picking a right necklace.

The vendor had a lot of options, and seemed to be a cheerful guy, as he had an easy smile. Next to him was a gardevoir, who he was familiar with. She was a real sweetheart towards everyone. Zero jumped onto the counter and smiled at them both.

"Hello Zero," the man told him. Zero nodded at him. Then he turned to the gardevoir, whose job was to act as a translator.

"Greetings," she said.

"Hello Ariel, how're the kids?" he asked.

"Just fine, thank you," she replied, beaming at him. If there was one thing mothers liked, no matter the species, it was talking about their kids.

"Glad to hear it. So, what do you guys have for new stock? Nothing too terribly fancy, but flashy enough to compliment a pretty little vaporeon."

Once she had translated, the vendors smile widened. "Ah, found a new lady friend, did ya Zero? You'll have to introduce us sometime. Anyone who catches your eye is bound to be someone pretty special," he said. "Hold on a moment, I think I have just the thing for you."

With that he turned around and went to the back of his stall where he started rummaging through some crates, mumbling to himself.

"Now where did I put the damn thing? Ah, here we go!" he said, before turning around, holding a small, well decorated box. "Now, I don't have this on display, mainly because I know very few individuals could afford it, but I know you easily can. What do you think? Hand crafted in Durose, and made using the highest quality of gold and silver, straight from the mines of Taria, and using gemstones from the jewelers in Daric." Then he lowered the box to reveal a beautiful, yet simple necklace that Zero thought would be perfect.

It had a silver chain, which he knew took a lot of time and precision to get perfect, which the chain appeared to be. It had three gems set in gold, which formed the body of the necklace, with two sapphires on the side and a large, clear diamond as the center piece. Not too terribly flashy, just the right amount to be attractive yet not overbearing. He was sold.

"Alright, what price?" he asked, with Ariel translating.

The vendor thought for a moment, then said, "I'll tell you what. I'll let you have it at 25,000 poke, even though it could easily go for 40,000."

Zero nodded. "You've got a sale, my friend. Hold on just a sec, my purse is on it's way. Can you wrap it?"

The vendor grinned. "Using your partner's abilities to cheat again, eh Zero? No problem. I'll throw in the box as well."

As the vendor wrapped the box in a gold foil, Zero closed his eyes and concentrated.

' _Gabe,'_ he sent. _'I need you to bring some of my poke to me'_

' _Great,'_ came the reply. _'I was just about to sleep. How much?'_

' _25,000'_

' _Oh great, you bought another house, didn't you?'_

' _No, just some jewelry. Expensive jewelry.'_

' _Be right there.'_

A few minutes later, a familiar gallade appeared in front of the stand. He placed a leather sack with a little piece of rope tying off the top onto the counter, before disappearing again. The sack was obviously filled with a lot of coins, as it was visibly bulging.

Zero pushed the heavy sack over towards the vendor, and waited patiently as Ariel psychically counted the money. Then the vendor slid over the neatly wrapped box before smiling again.

"I have to say Zero, I always enjoy selling to you. It always means a day of profit for me," the man told him. Zero just smiled at him and nodded understandingly. Then he turned to Rio and Tal, who were both staring at him in both awe and shock. He gestured for the lucario to grab the gift.

"Since I bought it, you get to carry it," he told him with a cheeky grin. Rio just nodded, still dumbstruck. Zero turned back to the vendors and smiled at them, before saying, "Pleasure doing business with you. Tell the kids I said hi."

After that he jumped onto the ground to join Tal and Rio. "So what do you gents say to getting some lunch? I'm feeling generous today," he told them.

"Uhh, sure, I guess," Tal responded, seemingly forgetting his annoyance with the umbreon. Rio nodded again.

"Alright, we'll go to Dee's Pub. I have a tab running there."

 **[POV: Lura]**

Lura was perplexed. Wolfe had left hours ago, and Tal and Rio still weren't back. Needless to say, she was bored. Very bored. She wished that they had waited for her at least. She debated on trying to find Zero's place, but decided that she didn't know her surroundings anywhere near enough to risk exploring. So she waited.

About an hour into the afternoon, she heard a couple familiar voices at the door. She leaped onto the windowsill and glanced out into the street, trying to catch a glimpse of who was at the door, though she had her suspicions. Unfortunately, she couldn't see anything from her angle.

 _Oh well,_ she thought. _I can just go outside._ That thought in mind, she pushed her way quietly through the flap in the door and out onto the street, where she saw something that she really hadn't expected to. Tal, having a conversation with Zero.

"Listen, Tal, you should be over that by now. It's not like it happened just last week. It happened a year ago! Your sister is over things already, and in my opinion she had more of a reason to be upset with me then you do," Zero said.

"It's not that simple, Zero. Some of us get over things sooner than others, and although I know that I'm fast physically, I'm not emotionally. While it might not seem like that big of a deal to you, it is to me," Tal replied.

"I think that you two need to figure out your problems on your own time. Some of us have things to do you know." That was only the second time she had heard Rio speak.

Zero nodded understandingly, and then he smiled brightly. "Also, we should note that there are more ears among us, so if you don't want her to know, we should probably drop the subject."

Lura flinched slightly. _How did he know I was out here? I didn't make a sound!_

Tal also looked startled. It was obvious that he hadn't been aware that she had joined them, so that just made her even more curious as to how Zero knew she had been present. She decided that this was just too weird for her not to ask.

"How did you know I was out here," she asked him.

"I always know when beauty is in my presence! Just ask Gabe," came his reply. Tal rolled his eyes and groaned softly. At least he seemed to be more accepting of the umbreon today. Lura wondered what they were all doing. Her question was answered by Zero.

"So, should we give it to her now? I'm terribly impatient, and I want to see her face light up," he said. Tal actually smiled along with the umbreon, and nodded in agreement. They both looked at Rio, who was holding a small gold box.

"Uhh, give me what exactly?" she asked. Rio just shrugged and gently placed the box on the ground. He pointed at it as he stood up.

Lura was slightly confused about why they were giving her a gold box, but then she realized that it probably held something. She padded up to it slowly, before looking at Tal and Zero, seeking guidance.

"Just open it already! I hate waiting games," Zero exclaimed. Tal nodded in agreement, looking eager. "Just to let you know, this was Tal's idea, I just provided the funds while Rio was the pack mule. So really, it's from all of us with lots of love. Consider it a 'welcome to the city' gift."

Lura smiled brightly as he told her this. "Awh! Well thank you guys! But you really didn't have to get me anything."

Tal shook his head. "Nonsense, of course we did! What kind of people would we be if we didn't?"

Rio replied to this, saying, "Normal. We would be normal people. No, we didn't have to get you anything, but we did anyway."

Zero chuckled as Tal glared at Rio. Lura giggled slightly as well, placing a paw delicately against her muzzle. Then she looked down at the box and wondered how she was going to open it. She decided that the best course of action would be to use her teeth, as they were sharp and could grip relatively easy.

After a relatively short amount of time, the box was unwrapped and all that covered whatever was inside was the ornate lid. She used a claw to lift it off, and flipped it off to the side. Once she saw the boxes contents, she gasped.

Inside was a necklace, a beautiful necklace, which had a simple chain with three gemstones set in it. For a second she didn't even move, she just stared at it in awe. _It must have cost a fortune,_ she thought. She didn't know what to say. She looked up at the three pokemon watching her face with huge grins plastered on their own, even Rio's.

"I… I don't know what to say," she exclaimed. Tal beamed at her while Zero just grinned, obviously enjoying her reaction.

Rio, however, decided he should inform her. "The most common thing to say would be 'thank you', but it's really up to you if you say anything at all."

Lura just nodded, although she thought that 'thank you' didn't really cut it. "Well, thank you guys! Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome!" Tal said, while Rio and Zero just nodded their heads to accept her thanks. She looked down at the necklace for a moment, trying to figure out how she could put it on without looking stupid. Before she could make a move though, the necklace started to glow a faint shade of purple. Then it lifted out of the box by itself and opened just in front of her, not moving.

Lura was startled, for a moment thinking that the necklace was haunted, until she saw that Zero's eyes were also glowing purple. She realized that he was using psychic to lift it up for her. She smiled at him before thrusting her head through the chain. Zero's eyes returned to their normal color and the necklace settled itself onto her neck.

"Thank you all so much!" she exclaimed. No one had ever bought her a gift like this before, and she really didn't know why they decided that they would. She decided that she should just accept the gift and not question why she received it.

"Now that's out of the way, I'll go start getting things ready to cook dinner. Good day to you, Zero, and thank you for the meal," Rio said. The umbreon waved a paw dismissively.

"There's no need to thank me, but you're welcome," he told him.

Rio nodded and stooped to pick up the jewelry box, before he walked past Lura to the door, opened in, and went inside, leaving the eeveelutions to themselves. Tal looked uncomfortable now that his long-term friend was gone, while Zero just looked like Zero. Confident grin and gleaming eyes.

"Well, I guess that I'll go inside as well. Coming, Lura?" Tal asked.

Lura frowned. She wanted to be out of the house, she'd been in it all day.

"Actually, I was hoping that we could do something out of the house. I've been inside all morning," she replied.

Tal frowned while Zero's grin brightened. "In that case," the umbreon said. "You can enjoy the day with me! I'm sure we could have all sorts of fun, right Tal?" As he said this he winked at Lura, who understood what he was trying to do. She giggled and nodded, before saying, "Oh definitely!"

Tal, however, saw the wink and took it to mean something else, which caused him to bristle slightly. "On second thought, I'll just hang around with you two today," he told them.

"But of course! Wouldn't want you to miss out on all the fun, now would we? Now, what did you want to do today, Lura?" Zero said.

She giggled again. Now all three of them would be with eachother! She was glad that Zero had seen what she wanted, and thought it was funny how he got the jolteon to change his mind.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. What would you recommend?" she asked him.

"Well, I could show you my place and introduce you to Gabe, so that way if you ever need me you can just ask him," came the reply.

"And why would she need you? I'm more available than you are," Tal demanded.

Lura was slightly curious about that as well, but had decided that it would be rude to ask. Tal obviously didn't care if he came across as rude.

"Why lots of reasons, of course! For instance, if she's ever lonely and needs some attention, or if her bed is too cold at night and she wants someone with more fire in them to keep her warm," the umbreon said with a wink at her again.

Lura blushed brightly at what he said and what was implied, while Tal looked absolutely livid. Before he could say anything though, Zero held up a paw.

"Peace, Tal. That was a joke. Now, that's not to say I wouldn't be open to the idea of sharing a bed with her, I'm not one to go seek that kind of attention, despite what you think. People always seek me out, as you very well know. In all honesty though, she might need me if she needs a guard or just a friend to talk to. We both know that I'm the best fighter this side of Nor, maybe even beyond that. And I can be serious when the situation calls for it."

Tal swallowed whatever retort he had come up with in his head and sighed in defeat. "Yeah, I know."

Lura stared at Zero, still blushing brightly after his first statement. Still, she decided that she should answer. After all, she had been curious as to where he lived. If he showed her, then she could find him the next time she was bored.

"I think that that would be fine," she told him. The umbreon's eyes brightened.

"Is that an invitation to your bed?" he asked her.

Lura blushed even deeper. "That's not what I meant!"

"That wasn't a no," he said with a cheeky grin.

At this point Lura found that she couldn't speak and started stammering. Why did this umbreon make her react in such a way? Sure she thought he was handsome and all, but she didn't think that that would be enough to make her brain mush. Hell, she thought that Tal was handsome as well, but he never made her act this way. She resorted to hiding her face behind her tail.

Zero padded up to her and pressed his side against hers again, before wrapping his tail around her and pulling her into him. "Perhaps Tal should stay behind, no?" he murmured in her ear.

"I-I-I…" she trailed off, unable to speak. This was when Tal stepped in.

"Zero, I think that's enough. You're making her uncomfortable," he said.

Zero grinned. "Or perhaps I'm making her to comfortable," he replied. "But you're right, that's enough. I know what you meant, Lura. I'll show you two my place. Lura, you'll always be welcome there, and Tal, same to you."

With that said, he unwrapped is tail from around her, leaving her with a strange chill. She shook herself to clear her head.

"Follow me," the umbreon said, before turning around and trotting off down the street, leaving Tal and Lura to follow. Tal looked at Lura worriedly, as well as something else in his eyes.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

She nodded and smiled at him. "I'm fine Tal, but thank you for asking. I don't know why he makes me that way, I only have that problem with him. I'm not sure what to think."

Tal nodded slightly. Then he sighed. "It's alright Lura. When he's himself he won't actually do anything other than tease you."

She frowned. "And when he's not himself?"

He hesitated. Then said, "Well, he's more free then."

Lura kept her frown as she stared at Zero. _What an unusual pokemon,_ she thought. He turned around and grinned at her, before focusing in front of him, seemingly lost in thought.

 **[POV: Zero]**

' _Bringing guests over to meet you and see the house. Clean up a bit will ya?'_ he sent.

' _Why do you not get that I'm sleeping? Fuck off,'_ Gabe replied.

' _Don't be that way. You slept last week, that should be enough.'_

' _You're a riot, demon. Who are you bringing?'_

' _Lura and Tal. Do me a favor and hide the contract information as well. No need to give anything away, now is there?'_

' _True. Alright, I'll get things ready. Any food?'_

' _Lura hasn't eaten since breakfast, but I treated Tal and Rio to dinner, so they should be good. I'll probably have something, and I'm assuming you haven't eaten yet either.'_

' _Got it. And you would be right as well.'_

Zero smiled slightly. _'It's like I know you or something. Oh, one more thing.'_

' _What.'_

' _Thanks partner.'_

 **[POV: Tal]**

Tal was conflicted. It was pretty obvious as to why, what with Zero being how he is. Despite what he said, he didn't really have a problem with the umbreon. Mostly he had trouble coming to terms with himself.

He debated on telling Lura that story, as Zero had suggested, but found that it didn't really matter. Just a moment of stupidity on his part, combined with not being able to control himself. That's not to say he didn't enjoy that night, he just has problems coming to terms with that part of himself.

Then his thoughts turned to his pretty new house-mate. When he first saw her, he just couldn't help but stare. She was beautiful in every sense of the word. He just didn't know how to act around her. He wasn't the type of pokemon that could talk to anyone and not feel bothered in the slightest. Like Zero.

He didn't like comparing himself to Zero, as he knew they were in two separate leagues. It was relatively simple really. Zero was a social butterfly, and he was not. He used to idolize the umbreon, and even now he found that he couldn't really hate him, but things changed. He used to be in love with the umbreon, actually. He got what he wanted a year ago, but Tal hadn't really been aware that he wanted that kind of affection from him. So that was what he was still coming to terms with.

He didn't dislike the umbreon, he liked him too much.

However, now that Lura was here, he might be able to focus on her instead. It might finally take his mind off the umbreon.

 **[POV: Lura]**

The journey through the streets passed in relative silence, each eeveelution minding their own business. Lura was slightly curious as to what they were thinking about, but she felt it would be rude to ask. It probably wasn't her business.

Finally they neared High Point's wall, and reached Zero's home. He stopped in front of a rather neat house, nothing to terribly fancy, although there were no houses near it. The house had a simple design, with three levels to it, at least that Lura noticed from the outside. It had the normal square design that all houses in Forn had, with the usual looking roof access.

His large property had an iron fence around it, and Lura was actually pretty surprised at how much space he had. It was easily large enough to fit her old house as well as the barn, with some room left over. On one section of the yard there were three straw dummies, which she assumed he used to train. There were also a couple simple targets, with red rings painted on them. Lura didn't know what purpose they served, so she made a mental not to ask Zero about them

Overall, she rather liked his property. It had a homey sort of look to it, and she could see Zero being very comfortable in it, along with whoever else lived there. She could easily see why he liked it.

"Well, home sweet home," the umbreon said. "It's not anything fancy like some people like, and I've been told on more than one occasion that I should add more decorations and color to it, but I hate color with a passion. And who needs decorations that don't serve a purpose?"

Tal nodded, as did Lura. "I actually expected something flashier from someone with so much wealth, but I'm not going to say that I'm disappointed. Just surprised," the jolteon told him.

Lura saw this as a great time to ask Zero a bit about his yard. "So, what's with all the dummies? And what are those targets for?"

"As I said earlier, I'm a good fighter. The dummies are to keep my skills up whenever my partner isn't available, or for him to use when I'm not available. As for the targets, they're for ranged attacks. I replace all my practice equipment every week or so, depending on if I'm out on a job or not. If they aren't really used, I leave them be," he replied.

Zero led them through the gate, which had a latch, although it wasn't in use at the moment. Then he led them to the houses entrance. His door also had a flap, so Lura assumed it was common for all houses that have quadruped pokemon living in them. It certainly made things easier.

"Now, my partners name is Gabriel, although he prefers to be called Gabe, much like Zero isn't my real name, merely a nickname. He's a great guy and I'm sure you will all get along. Lura, as you haven't eaten anything since breakfast, and I haven't eaten anything since yesterday, I had Gabe prepare some food for us. It should be ready now. Tal, I already bought you and Rio food earlier, but if you're still hungry you can have something as well," Zero told them.

Lura stared at him in shock as he entered the house with Tal following right behind. _His name isn't Zero? I wonder what it is then,_ she thought. Then she shook herself and entered the house.

The interior of the home was very similar to the Bailey's house, with a stair case visible right when you entered. There were only a few visible decorations on the walls, and those looked to be paintings of people and pokemon. She decided to check those out as soon as she could.

"Alright, just a couple rules for the house. Rule number one, if you have to use the bathroom, use the actual bathroom. Two, don't break anything. And finally, the basement is off limits. No touching. Got it?" Zero told them. They nodded, although Lura was curious what was in the basement now, and he smiled. "Good! Now, feel free to explore the house! Unless you want to see my bedroom. I'll have to be present for that." He winked at Lura again, before turning around and trotting off. Lura marveled at how he seemed to move so easily, even though he had a broken leg.

"Well, I'm going to look around a bit," Tal told her. He seemed to be very interested in the house, leaving Lura slightly curious again. Then he took off around a corner.

Lura decided that she would check out the paintings now before she forgot. Padding up to them, she was immediately struck by the quality, as well as a couple questions.

The first painting held a familiar face in it, as well as a relatively new one. It held the image of Wolfe in his combat gear, holding his helmet in his hand, as well as a gallade who she recognized from the market. They were both grinning brightly and the craftsmanship of the painting made them appear almost life-like. The background was set on a battlefield, at least that's what she assumed. There were no bodies, but there were broken catapults strewn about, as well as a couple banners. In the bottom right corner there was a date, as well as a location. The date read 3142 3E, and the location said Taria, Taria.

 _So,_ she thought. _This was probably based after that battle._ She wasn't to terribly aware of what the current date was, but she figured that since Gary told her the war happened around 25 years ago, the date was somewhere around 3167 3E. She decided that she would ask Zero.

The next painting didn't have Wolfe in it, but there was a very familiar face. It was Zero. He and Gabe were standing in a very fancy and ornate room that she guessed was a throne room, again with smiles on their faces. Lura's guess was confirmed as she glanced in the corner. The date read 3166 3E, with the location reading High Point, Foria. _So, that was probably painted last year._

Then she looked at the third painting. This one also had Zero in it, but she didn't know the second pokemon. It was another umbreon, although this one was female, if its figure was anything to go by. Lura had to admit that it was very beautiful, with a small smile on its face. The strange thing about it though, was that its rings were blue rather than yellow like Zero's. They both looked incredibly happy, and their tails were intertwined, with Zero kissing the female umbreon's cheek. Lura felt a slight twinge of jealousy, but she batted it away. She looked at the date and let out a squeak of shock.

The date read 3076 3E, with the location being Daric, Darvia. _That's impossible,_ she thought. _This painting was painted almost 100 years ago!_

"Beautiful, isn't she?" she heard Zero say next to her, startling her. She snapped her head to the side and stared at him.

"Yes, she is," she said. She turned her gaze back to the painting. "Zero, what's the date?"

Zero turned his gaze to the painting. "The year is 3168 of the 3rd era," he told her.

She thought about how to phrase her next question without sounding rude. Before she could, however, Zero pressed his side against hers and wrapped his tail around her, bringing her closer to him again.

Again, Lura found it hard to breathe properly. Internally, she wailed. _Why does this always happen!?_ She didn't know what to do again. She wished that she could figure her emotions out. She mentally shook herself.

"Is that your father?" she asked him.

"No, that's me."

"But…" her voice trailed off.

He chuckled at her. "I know, I'm old, aren't I?"

"But there's no way you're that old! You look like you're my age! How old do eevee's usually live?"

"Around 50 years," came his reply.

"But… If that's you then that would mean you are over 90 years old?!"

"What is age but a number?"

"But…" her voice trailed off again. "Isn't Wolfe really old too?"

He nodded. "We're about the same age. It's only because of him that I am able to live as long as I have anyway." He turned to look at the painting again, and his smile faded. "She should have lived as long as I have as well. But, things happen."

Lura saw that he was getting depressed, and decided to try to cheer him up, although she wasn't sure how she could. Then she looked at the painting again, and got an idea. Turning to Zero, she steeled herself. Then she placed her lips on his cheek, kissing him much like he kissed her last night.

Zero stiffened in surprise, before smiling slightly. Then Lura pulled back and turned her head, before resting it against Zero's shoulder.

"Thank you for that, Lura. You know, you're very similar to her, even down to the name," he told her.

"And what was her name?" she asked.

He chuckled. "Luna. Her name was Luna." Then he pulled away from her, and winked. "Now, don't worry about me, I'm fine. Now let's eat the food that Gabe was so nice to make for us. Also, I'll introduce you to him."

The rest of the day passed relatively quickly for Lura. They spent a few hours at Zero's house, before Tal and Lura decided to go home. Tal stayed quiet for most of the visit, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. When Lura asked how he was, he simply smiled at her.

Gabe was an interesting individual in Lura's opinion. He reminded her of Wolfe in some ways, but that made sense as supposedly they were partners for a long time. He was very courteous, much like Rio, except he spoke more. Overall, she thought he was a very nice pokemon.

The next day went by just as quickly, if not quicker. She spent most of it with Tal out exploring the town. Time passed. Over the next few months, Lura split her time between Tal and Zero, or the both of them on occasion. They certainly got along better after Lura joined them.

About two months after Zero showed them his house, Zero pulled her aside to speak with her.

"Listen, Lura. I know I told you that if you need a friend or a guard that you were to come find me, but something has come up. I'm going to be leaving town for a little while. I'm not entirely sure how long I'll be gone, but it'll probably be a few weeks."

Lura frowned. "Is everything alright?" she asked him.

He hesitated. "I'm not sure. I've just gotten word from a contact in Norovia that something is going on in Nor. Not sure what though."

Lura just frowned, and nodded.

Soon another month passed, and then another and yet even another. Eventually six months had passed, and then a year and finally two, and there was still no sign of Zero. Rumors started circulating around town that he had moved. Slowly but surely, he became more of a memory.

Tal and Lura's friendship got stronger and stronger, until they were practically inseparable, though it never went any further than friendship. Not for lack of Tal trying, just Lura didn't want that kind of relationship, though she didn't really know why. She guessed it had something to do with Zero, although she wasn't sure.

Three years after Lura moved to Forn, something happened. It started out as a normal day, with Lura going to the market to meet up with a few other friends for some food and a bit of gossip. Her group of friends consisted of Rose, who Tal had eventually introduced her to, a sylveon, who was simply known as Pink, as well as a gardevoir named Ariel, who apparently knew Zero.

"Did you hear that they're selling Wolfe's house and property?" Pink asked.

Lura and Rose's ears perked. "Wait, really?" Rose asked

The sylveon nodded. "Mhmm. No-ones been there for years, so they decided that it was just wasting money maintaining it while it's empty," she explained.

Lura frowned. "What about Zero? I mean…" she broke off suddenly with a shriek. A sharp, cold, piercing pain had erupted from her right shoulder. Its onset had her squirming on the ground, crying almost. It was so bad that everything else faded into the background, until the only thing she was aware of was the pain.

Finally, blessedly, the pain faded to be replaced with a wonderful sense of calm. Lura stopped screaming and just laid there, breathing heavily. She slowly became aware of her surroundings and saw her friends hovering over her with worried looks on their faces. All of her friends, that is, except Ariel who was sitting nearby, also breathing hard.

"Wha-what happened?" Lura asked. Her friends exchanged glances with each-other, before turning back to her.

"You tell us! You just collapsed, screaming in pain! And when Ariel touched your mind to see what was wrong, she collapsed as well," Rose told her. Lura stared worriedly at the gardevoir, who smiled at her softly, still breathing hard.

"I-I've never experienced anything that painful before," she told her. "What caused that?"

Lura shook her head worriedly. "I'm not sure. That's never happened to me before. It felt like it was coming from my mark," she said, gesturing with her head. Then Rose gasped.

"Look at it!" she exclaimed.

They did, and Lura saw that it was glowing a dark purple. _What happened? Why is it glowing,_ she wondered? As they stared at it the glow started to fade, until it was its normal appearance again.

"You know, I've always been slightly jealous of you because you are one of the marked, but after seeing that, I'm glad that I'm not," Pink told her. The rest nodded in agreement.

About a week after that incident, word reached Lura that supposedly Wolfe had been killed, about a week prior. She and her friends were very shocked at this news, although it would explain why her mark had acted so strangely. The story was that he had been sick for a long time, and while he was resting, someone snuck into his room with a dagger and stabbed him in the heart.

When Lura heard this, she felt awful. She was sad that she didn't really know him that well, and what little she knew was tainted by the situation with her family. She didn't even know his first name, if indeed he had one. She wished that she had asked Zero about him.

A week after the news reached Forn, the city held a mass funeral for him. People came from all over the countryside to attend, and even the High Point nobles came down, including Foria's king and queen.

The ceremony was long, filled with lots of speeches and praises to the deceased. He was a war hero after all. After the ceremony, the city hosted a party in his honor, complete with dances and humans, as well as a few pokemon, getting drunk and doing something stupid. Apparently, Wolfe had stated that if he were to be killed that everyone should host a celebration, so that the day wasn't too terribly "depressing".

Lura wasn't sure how she felt about this. Someone had just died, yet everyone was celebrating and having a good time all around. It was very conflicting. Lura only stayed to watch a few of the couple's dance. Tal asked her if she wanted to join him, but she declined. First, she had no clue how to dance. Second, it didn't sit right with her to celebrate someone's death.

After watching for a bit, Lura decided to turn in for the night. Before she went to sleep, though, she decided to stargaze for a while as her own personal tribute to Wolfe. As she gazed at the moon, she couldn't help but think of Zero as well. Wolfe had been in Nor, and while she wasn't really sure if Zero was still there, that was the last place she knew he was headed.

A month after Lura's incident with her mark, she received even more surprising news. Or rather, a surprising visitor.

It was night time, and Lura was out on the roof again, when she saw two figures running down the street towards their house. Lura was slightly confused, as it must have been close to midnight and everyone else was asleep. The figures had a sense of urgency about them, so Lura was very curious what was up. She was even more interested when they stopped at her house. A moment later she heard a rapid pounding on their door.

She ran back inside the house as the pounding continued, which had now had woken everyone in the house. They all grouped around the door and waited as Stephen started to open the door, grumbling slightly as he did so. His grumbling stopped immediately when he saw who it was. Lura peeked around him and gasped.

Standing in the doorway, with Gabe standing next to him, stood Wolfe. He was in his combat gear, and Lura saw that it was covered in blood, mostly around the chest area. He had a stern look on his face that spoke volumes of annoyance.

"Wolfe! I thought you were killed!" Stephen exclaimed.

Wolfe's face tightened even more. He gestured at his chest, before saying, "Emphasis on 'were'. I really don't appreciate being stabbed, I'll have you know. Pain in the ass is what it is."

They stared at him, dumbfounded. Finally, Stephen found his voice again. "But, how are you alive?"

"You said it yourself, I'm a cheating demon."

Gabe sighed angrily. "Wasting time here," he said.

Wolfe shook his head. "Right. Stephen, we need to leave, now."

Stephen frowned, but then shrugged. "Alright, just let me get my coat and boots."

Wolfe shook his head. "No, you don't understand. You need to pack whatever you need to survive and load it in a cart. You and your family can't stay inside the city."

They all stared at him. "That serious?" Stephen asked softly. Wolfe nodded.

"Alright. Betty, pack whatever food you can. Rio, pack some clothes. I'll go get the cart from out of storage," Stephen ordered. Betty and Rio nodded and left to go do as they were told. Tal and Lura shared a look, slightly confused as to why they were obeying Wolfe without question.

"Wolfe…" she said softly. He looked down at her.

"Lura, I'm sorry for being gone for so long. There are some things that I need to explain to you when we get a chance," he told her.

She nodded, although slightly nervous. "Is… is Zero back with you?" she asked him.

He frowned. "That's one of the things that I need to explain to you."

She felt her heart freeze for a moment. _Is… is he dead,_ she wondered? She nodded sadly.

Stephen then spoke to Wolfe again. "Come with me and tell me what's happened." Wolfe nodded, and they left down the street, with Gabe tagging along with him.

When they got back with a cart, which was pulled by Gabe, Stephen looked very worried and had a stronger sense of urgency about him.

"We need to hurry!" he called into the house, before picking up a few bags that were placed near the door, and placed them in the cart.

Half an hour later, the cart was loaded and they were all standing around it.

"Is this everyone?" Wolfe asked. Stephen nodded. Wolfe turned to Gabe and nodded. "Do it," he told him. Lura was slightly confused again, but that disappeared quickly as she saw the psychic type close his eyes and appear to concentrate. _Oh,_ she thought. _Teleport._ Then everything faded out of sight as she lost consciousness.

* * *

 **Alright! 4 chapters down! You know, 4 has always been my lucky number. What did you all think? A few things that I need to explain, though. First, there is a bit of 'romance' in this chapter, but I'm just telling you now that Zero doesn't consider it as such. As I said earlier, Zero is based off of myself. So, while that might be considered romance to Lura, it's not to Zero. That's something that happens to me relatively often with my female friends. I'm constantly being mistaken for making 'moves' on them, even though I'm really just messing around. Awkward. Second thing, there was a pretty large time skip in this chapter, but that will be explained in the next one. Just know that the real story is about to start. Finally, I've decided that, instead of having a poll, I'm just going to include lemons, as my very first reviewer asked me to include them, and I haven't heard anyone say no. So, expect those later. That being said, thank you all for reading! I'm actually really proud of this chapter, as a lot of effort was put into it on my part. I'll see you all next chapter!**

 **-Aurumn**


	6. Chapter 5: What Makes A Hero

**A/N: Hey all, Aurumn here. So, over 200 views! As I'm looking at it now, it's at 221 views. That's actually really encouraging as a new writer, especially considering that my story hasn't been out for a week yet. The only thing that is slightly discouraging is that no one is reviewing. So, I don't know what I'm doing right, or what I'm doing wrong, so I really don't know what I should be focusing on. Oh well, it's a small complaint really. Also, I want to get an actual cover image for this story, but I have 'Zero' ideas. Ha, sorry I had to. But seriously, if anyone has any advice or recommendations for a good over image, I would appreciate it. That said, onto the story! I've decided to reveal a few key facts in this chapter, so enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliates. I do, however, own my OC's and the story surrounding them.**

* * *

 **[POV: SSG Wolfe]**

 _ **[Why did you take her from me!]**_

 _ **{She's not the one meant for you.}**_

Wolfe was lying prone on top of a hill, looking through his optic at a couple men shaking hands on an airstrip, about 1,600 meters away. Next to him was his spotter, another Staff Sergeant whose last name was Hendricks. Wolfe felt him tap his shoulder.

"If you have the shot, you're green," he told him.

Wolfe didn't make any outward motion, so his shot wasn't thrown off, though he replied softly, "HVT in sights. Mark the shot."

Wolfe settled his crosshairs on the back of a man in military fatigues, who matched the description of his target. He made a slight adjustment to account for the wind, then steadied his breath. "Shot," he said, before squeezing the trigger.

He felt his rifle jump back into his shoulder, followed by a loud bang, signifying that the round left his barrel. A split second later, he saw the bullet impact the military man, before the man collapsed.

"Good hit," SSG Hendricks told him.

"Copy," Wolfe replied. Then he moved his crosshairs to the secondary target, another man in fatigues, who was checking the downed soldier. "Shot," he said again, and squeezed the trigger. The rifle jumped in his shoulder, and the second man went down.

"Good hit," Hendricks said. Then he activated his radio. "Charlie one, this is Charlie two. HVT's are down, send in your squad," he said into it. Wolfe heard the crackle of his earbud coming alive as they got a response. "Charlie two, this is Charlie one. Moving in, stand-by to assist."

"Copy," Hendricks replied. Then he turned to Wolfe. "Good shooting, Zero," he told him. Wolfe grinned at the use of his nickname.

"Thanks bud. Call my targets as needed," he replied.

"Copy that."

Wolfe watched through his optic as the enemy force responded to the other teams assault, ducking behind concrete barriers to shield them from Charlie one's fire. He counted a total of 24 enemy combatants, though he had suspicions that there was probably a counter sniper team hidden from view, most likely looking for him and Hendricks. That wasn't his immediate concern though.

"Heavy gunner, top of catwalk," Hendricks told him. Wolfe found the mentioned man in his sights, before replying, "Got him. Shot." Then he fired, and the man went down.

"Good hit. Marksman, behind hanger," Hendricks told him.

"Copy. Shot."

"Good hit. Stand by."

Suddenly Wolfe saw a flash out of the corner of his eye, followed by dirt being kicked up in front of him. A moment later he heard the counter sniper's rifle ring out.

Wolfe didn't wait to be told, he saw the flash. He found the sniper team, who were in ghillie suits about 600 meters to his left, on a hill adjacent to him. He put the shooter in his sights. "Shot," he said, before firing. The shooter went down, and his spotter started to back up quickly, attempting to escape. Wolfe didn't give him the chance. "Shot," he said, and the counter sniper team was eliminated.

"Good hits, back on site," Hendricks told him, not missing a beat.

"Copy." There wasn't any time for chit chat. This was all business. Every second wasted was another second a comrade could die.

"Another gunner, below the catwalk."

"Copy. Shot."

"Good hit, stand by."

At this point, most of the enemy forces had been wiped out, leaving only six remaining. They were stationed centrally near the hanger, pinned down by Wolfe's comrades. He knew they weren't going to survive much longer if they didn't surrender, and they knew it too.

"Duo behind the transport," Hendricks told him, sounding urgent.

Wolfe found them in his sights and immediately saw why he was sounded urgent. One of them was on a radio, speaking rapidly.

"Shot," he said. Then he fired, and the man holding the radio flew back. The other man, who was providing cover, then jumped on the radio himself. "Shot." Then that man fell too.

Hendricks didn't take time to compliment his shooting, instead he immediately jumped on the radio. "Charlie one this is Charlie two. Be advised, possible reinforcements or indirect fire inbound. Recommend you pull back."

"Copy that, we're pulling out. You two get your asses out of dodge," the team leader told them. Wolfe then saw more transports coming down the road towards the airport.

"Charlie one, you have enemy reinforcements coming in from the east road. Get out of there, we'll stay and cover for you," he told them.

"Copy that," the team leader said, although he didn't turn off his radio as he spoke to his own team. "Ladies, it's time to double time and get out, we have enemy reinforcements coming up on us. Our angels of death are covering for us, so move your asses! Charlie two, try not to get yourselves killed."

"Copy that," Wolfe replied. Then he set down his radio, and turned to Hendricks. "Grab your rifle and get set up over in that tree line. I'll stay here and wreak what havoc I can."

The other man nodded. "Got it. Glad to have you covering me Zero, otherwise I guarantee that today would be a whole lot worse."

Wolfe grinned at him. "And don't I know it. Now hurry up!"

As Hendricks took off, Wolfe settled his crosshairs on the road. _There's a turn coming up for them, then they'll be coming right at me,_ he thought. He grinned. It was these moments that he lived for, moments where he had an opportunity to save his buddies asses, as well as take out some of the enemy. He steadied his crosshairs on where the drivers' heads would be when they rounded the corner, and waited.

As soon as the first transport rounded the corner, Wolfe steadied his breath, and squeezed the trigger.

 **[POV: Lura, 910 BBF]**

When Lura woke up, she was in a clearing surrounded by trees. It was still night time, and everyone was still sleeping. Everyone, that is, except for Wolfe, who was sitting on a stump next to a small campfire. He had his shirt and armor off, and when Lura looked around, she saw them hanging on a rope that was tied between two trees. _Oh,_ she thought. _He must have washed them._

She turned her gaze back to Wolfe. Something had obviously happened to him in the three and a half years it had been since she last saw him. It didn't appear to be anything good either. She slowly stretched, before padding up to him to ask a few questions.

"Good evening, Lura," he said as she got close to him, though he didn't turn his eyes from the fire.

"But isn't it morning?" she asked. He laughed lightly.

"It was, about ten hours ago. You've been out for around 22 hours," he told her. Lura let out a little squeak. _I was out for that long! Why,_ she wondered. Then she shook herself. "Was I the only one to pass out?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, they all did. Believe it or not, you are actually the first to wake up. Otherwise, it was just Gabe and me."

"Oh," she said. She went to his side, and sat down in front of the fire as well. She had a question burning through her mind, but she didn't want to ask it for fear of what answer she got. As she struggled internally, she felt Wolfe place a hand on her side. Then he began to stroke her gently.

"Lura, I think now would be a good time to talk," he told her. She swallowed hard and nodded, though she didn't look at him. Then he removed his hand from her side and said, "Actually, it might be best if I just showed you."

After that, the clearing was filled with a dark flash, followed by nothing. "Lura," Wolfe said. "Look at me."

She did and immediately felt her jaw drop in surprise. Standing on the stump where Wolfe had been, was Zero!

"B-but…" she started before breaking off. She tried again. "H-how…" again, she broke off.

Zero grinned at her, that familiar grin that always made her blush. Then he jumped off the stump and sat next to her, laying his tail on her back in the process. "Surprise," he said.

Lura just stared at him, completely dumbfounded. "W-what happened to Wolfe?!" she asked him. He kept smiling at her slightly. "Lura, I am Wolfe. Have been the entire time. If you think about it, I'm sure that you'll see that some things make more sense now that you know."

She kept staring at him, and he frowned. "Lura, I realize that I'm very attractive, but there's really no need to stare at me so hard or so long," he told her. Lura blushed brightly.

"But how!?" she demanded. "You're so different from each other! How can you be the same person?"

He shook his head. "Actually, we're not. You've only just known me as Wolfe when I was on business trips, not personal ones. As for how, that's a long story." He faced the fire again.

"Can you tell me then? And is that why you can understand pokemon as a human?" she asked.

He looked up at the moon for a moment, before sighing and smiling slightly. "I suppose I do owe you some answers, don't I? Yes, that is why I can understand pokemon as a human. It's because I am one. That's also why I straight up refused to harm an eevee or any of our evolutions with any of my contracts. As for how this can be, that answer is both very simple and very complicated."

He turned to face her, red eyes staring into her dark ones. "The reason for me being able to be a pokemon, as well as me being immortal, is that I'm already dead."

Lura froze.

He turned to face the fire again, before continuing, "My name was Aurumn Wolfe. I was a simple soldier, with a few problems. I was too skilled at what I did, and I was too self-sacrificing as a person. Now, this is where it starts to get complicated. You see, I'm not actually from this world. I'm not from _your_ world, Lura. Where I'm from, pokemon don't exist."

He looked at Lura, who was simply staring at him in shock. "I'm from a world at war. So obviously, I was bound to die at some point. It just so happened that I died when I was 23, which is very young for a human. But it was commonplace in my world. I was on a mission with some other men, providing long range support, when the whole thing went to shit. Enemies just showed up, and kept coming, no matter how many I killed. There were simply too many of them."

He shook his head sadly, and turned back towards the fire. "You see, in my world, we didn't fight with bow's or swords. We fought with weapons that could kill from a distance, a distance far greater than any bow could hope to shoot. My weapon could kill from even farther than that. I don't know how to explain them to you, Lura, as there is nothing like them in this world. At least, not now. In Memoria, they are experimenting with the basics of black powder, which my world's weapons used a form of. Think of a metal pipe, that, when activated, sends a projectile flying through the air far faster than any arrow. Some could even tear men in half, as if they were paper. I know. I've seen it. Hell, I've done it to a few men myself."

He went quiet for a bit. Lura took this time to process what she was being told. She just couldn't believe what he was telling her.

He turned and grinned at her. "Hard to believe, I know. But it's true."

Lura was shocked again. "How did you know that I didn't believe you?" she asked him. He grinned and moved his tail along her back, and down her own tail, causing her to shiver in delight.

"You're marked, remember? If I'm touching you, I know what you are feeling, even if you yourself aren't aware," he told her as he winked at her, causing her heart to beat faster as she blushed. He chuckled. "Such a naughty little vappy. And here I thought that you were so innocent. Who knew?" He shook his head in amusement. Then he continued with his story.

"When I died, I found myself floating in a void that was filled with nothing. No sight, no smell, no taste, just nothing. Then, a voice spoke to me. It said that I was too good a person to have it just end like that, with no reward. It asked me what I wanted, and I told them a second chance. And then I was here, in your world, with abilities I know others don't have. For instance, my ability to transform into a pokemon, and my ability to mark people and pokemon."

He grinned. "Also, I can't die. At least, not permanently. If I am killed, I stay dead for a certain amount of time, just to let my body heal. Then I'm back to wherever my body is at."

He frowned again. "I found that out the hard way. You remember Luna, the umbreon in the painting at my house, right?" he asked her. She nodded. "Well, I suppose that you could say we were mates at one point. She found me when I first arrived in this world as an eevee, if you can believe it. She was an eevee as well, and apparently I just appeared in her home, right in front of her. When I woke up, I started spouting stuff about me being a human, and she didn't believe me. But it didn't matter. We were fast friends, and she showed me how this world worked. One night, about a year after I arrived, we went out to look at the moon and the stars, and I just couldn't help but think how beautiful she was to me. That's when I started glowing brightly, and suddenly I evolved! Into an umbreon no less. After she saw that I had evolved, she knew it was because of her, and she evolved as well." He smiled sadly. "And then I kissed her."

Lura felt another jolt of jealousy, but she shoved it down. Hard. Zero chuckled at her. "Don't worry about it Lura. You can't help what you feel. Any case, when I kissed her, apparently some of my memories transferred over to her. She just went still for a few moments, before she started kissing me back. She called me Zero, and told me that she saw some of my life from before, such as that nickname. She believed every word I had ever told her after that."

He looked towards the fire once more, and Lura saw tears in his eyes. "And then they killed her. Her and me. Unfortunately, I didn't stay dead. But she did. When I came back to life for the second time, I was a human again. And she was dead. She's the reason that I fought against the Memories with such zeal, for it was them that killed us, just because we were dark types. I didn't know about my ability to mark those that I care about yet. I found that out with Gabe and his mate, who helped me through the time after Luna's death."

He shook himself, before smiling at her brightly, all traces of sadness gone. "So that's my story. Believe it or not, you're only the third person that I've told it to."

He removed his tail from her back and took a step away from her. Lura was hugely conflicted. _How can I believe him,_ she thought. _But he looked so sad… I've never seen him that sad before._ "How do I know that you're telling me the truth?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I don't exactly have a way to prove it to you. It happened in the past," he told her.

That was when Lura remembered something that he had said. She immediately blushed and hid her face behind her tail. Then she steeled herself, and said, "But didn't you show Luna?" she asked him. "Would that work again?"

He didn't respond, and when Lura finally couldn't take the silence anymore and peeked out from around her tail, she saw that he looked dumbstruck. It was almost comical, if it weren't for how nervous Lura was, she probably would have laughed at him.

He blinked slowly. "Uhh… are you asking what I think you're asking?" he asked.

She blushed even deeper, before nodding.

He blinked again. Then a grin crossed his muzzle. "You know, I didn't expect you to ever suggest something like that. You're filling out Lura, in more ways than one." Then his grin faded, and he looked concerned. "Lura, are you sure that you want that?"

She hid behind her tail again. "It's not like it will mean anything. It's just so that I will have proof," she told him. And herself.

He nodded, although he still looked uncertain. He walked close to her, and gently pushed her tail down with a paw, staring into her eyes. "Last chance to say no Lura," he told her. "Are you sure you want this?"

She nodded. "I'm sure."

He nodded understandingly. "Alright. Just close your eyes, alright?"

Lura nodded, and did as he told her to. She was very nervous, as she had never done anything like this before. She wasn't sure what to expect, and hoped that he would guide her through it. He did.

"Open your mouth a little," he murmured. She could feel his warm breath on her muzzle as he spoke, and felt her nervousness build to a peak. However, she did as instructed. "Now just relax," he told her.

Then she felt him close the gap between their muzzle's, and he kissed her, sending her head spinning.

He started out slowly, being gentle with her. He soon became slightly more forceful, although nothing to aggressive. She smiled into their kiss, and was about to press back when her mind went blank and she swirled into his memories.

 **[Wolfe's Memories]**

 _She was laying down on a hill top, holding something in her hand that she somehow knew was a rifle, though she wasn't sure how she knew that. She had her sights trained on a strip of black in the distance that she knew was a road. There were large vehicles driving on it, which she recognized as troop transport trucks. She knew that she had to take these out._

 _As the first truck rounded a corner, she held her breath and squeezed the trigger of her rifle. The rifle jumped in her shoulder, and she heard a loud bang. She watched through her optic as the bullet found its way through the skull of a man driving the transport. She then saw his head literally explode, and felt a sharp jolt of satisfaction. With no one controlling it, the truck started to swerve from side to side, before it went off the road and into the ditch, leaving half of it on the road._

 _Then she readjusted her sights to ready herself for the next vehicle, which was rapidly slowing down so as not to hit the first one. She didn't give him the chance. Another shot, and the second man lost his head, which sent it slamming into the back of the first vehicle, effectively blocking the road._

 _She let out a slight grin. She wasn't known as Zero for nothing. She watched as the other trucks slammed on their breaks. She fired one more shot, taking out a third driver and causing the pile-up to grow, before she pushed a button on the side of her rifle to reload it. Then she put in a fresh magazine. She had a total of four remaining, including the one she had just put in._

 _That's 48 shots, she thought. I'll make every bullet count. Then she settled her sights back on the pile up on the road. Troops were streaming out of the trucks. She counted 86 troops in total, split between six trucks. Not good odds. She didn't care though. She had comrades to protect._

 _That was when she heard another shot coming from over her right shoulder, and smiled as she saw Hendricks drop a man. Help was always appreciated, especially from the second best shot that she knew. She was the first, of course._

 _She saw one of the soldiers trying to get everyone under control and put them in a position where they would be able to advance. She wouldn't let him do that, however. Her next shot tore the soldier in half._

 _Over the next few minutes, she and Hendricks fired round after round at the soldiers, who had finally gotten under control and were bounding in teams towards her. Every shot she took signaled the death of another enemy. Hendricks wasn't that far behind, missing only a few here and there._

 _The enemy started firing in her and her brother's direction, although they obviously didn't know their exact locations. After five minutes of steadily piling bodies, she heard a shot come very close to her, followed by a few more. Looks like they found me, she thought. She still didn't panic. She just targeted the soldiers firing at her. Then she heard her radio crackle to life._

" _Wolfe, I'm low on rounds. If you want me to cover you as you pull back, now is the time," Hendricks told her. She risked a moment to reply._

" _You just pull back when you have five rounds left. Don't worry about me, they don't call me a demon for no reason. Once I've thinned their numbers, I'll pull back," she told him._

" _You're a crazy bastard Zero. About 50 seconds, then I'll have to pull out."_

" _Copy that, do what you have to."_

 _She went back to her rifle, and immediately picked up where she left off, stacking the enemy. After she had fired six more shots, the enemy's rounds were finding their way towards her bit by bit. That's when she knew they had found her._

 _Not even a second after she realized that, she felt three separate, searing pains strike her body. One in her left shoulder, one in her left leg and one in between her shoulder and her hip on her left side. She growled in pain. Then she heard her radio spring to life._

" _Wolfe, I'm spent. I have my sidearm, but we need to get gone," Hendricks told her._

" _Go," she said shortly._

" _Wolfe, don't be stupid!"_

" _Just go damn it! I'm already hit, I'm not going anywhere fast."_

 _The radio was silent as she kept firing. Then it turned on again._

" _Stay alive Wolfe. Just stay alive."_

 _I make no promises, she thought. She fired her last four rounds and slung her rifle on her back. Then, ignoring the pain, she started crawling backwards, drawing her sidearm as she did so. When she reached the tree's, she got onto her feet and limped back towards where her pick up point was. Then she heard the crack of machine gun fire and felt something impact her back armor plate. She fell forward with a gasp, feeling her vest heat up behind her. She wished that her vest had bullet proof plates on its sides as well. Then maybe she wouldn't be in as much pain._

 _She rotated onto her back and fumbled for the release strap on her vest. She found it and gave it a sharp tug, causing her it to fall apart. Now that her back wasn't burning so bad, she could actually concentrate. She slid her back up against a tree so that she was sitting. She heard twigs cracking, as well as people shouting in a foreign language. They were getting closer._

 _She reached into her pocket for her pack of cigarettes, grabbing her lighter in the process. She put one in her mouth and lit it. Then she closed her lighter, and put it back in her pocket. She just dropped the empty smokes pack. Then she grabbed her sidearm, and placed her knee so that it would steady her aim. She knew that this was the end of the line for her._

 _As soon as she saw an enemy soldiers head peek out from behind a tree, she aimed and shot him in the head. 15 yard shot, she thought. Not bad. Then she heard more shouting. They were coming towards the sound of her shot._

 _She grabbed her radio with her left hand, before talking into it. "Charlie one, this is your angel of death. I'm hit bad, and I know I'm not going anywhere. I have 15 more rounds in my pistol, other than that I'm out. Lost my vest, it got hit and was starting to burn. Me and Hendricks took down about 65 of the enemy, but there's still around 20 left." At this point there was another soldier coming up on her. She raised her pistol and shot him, not bothering to release the button on her radio. She heard a thump as he fell. "Make that 19. I'll do what I can to thin their numbers even more." Then she released the radio and let it fall. Her vision was starting to get blurry._

 _Her radio sprang back to life. "Angel one this is Angel two. I told you to stay alive damn it." It was Hendricks. She smiled and grabbed the radio again, shooting another soldier as he appeared. You'd think they'd learn not to all come one at a time. "Angel two, you know damn well that my call sign is Demon one. And last I checked, you don't outrank me. I don't have to obey you."_

" _Demon one this is Charlie one. We're at the pickup site. Angel one is here, we're waiting on you."_

 _She started to laugh despite the pain. They knew she wasn't going to making it out alive. That's the only reason that they were breaking protocol. She pressed the button so she could speak. "Charlie one this is Demon one. Copy your last, but I'm already there."_

 _It was at this point that even more soldiers started to appear, surrounding her in the process with all of their weapons trained on her. She pressed the button one last time. "This is Demon one to all call signs. My apologies for having to go, but I must entertain a couple guests. Might as well increase the count that I bring to hell, right? This is your Zero, signing off." Then she dropped her radio, and before it hit the ground she was moving._

 _She sprang to her feet and rolled, firing as she did so. Three shots, three bodies on the ground. Damn I'm good, she thought. Then she sprinted around the outside of the circle of men, who were all staring in shock at what had just happened. She fired what rounds she had remaining, killing seven more men, before she was down to her knife and her hands. The soldiers couldn't shoot for fear of hitting their own men, so she made great use of that by staying as close to the men as possible._

 _She stabbed one in the throat, then pulled her blade out as she rolled again, and slammed her knife into another man's skull from below his jaw. Unfortunately, her knife got stuck and she was left with nothing. But that didn't stop her. What ended up doing that, was three more rounds all placed in a tight group in her chest._

 _She coughed, spitting out a little blood as she did so, before she took a few more steps forward. More rounds entered her body as she was shot again and again. Still she walked. Finally, her body just couldn't take anymore punishment and she collapsed. She tried to get back up again, but found that she couldn't. The enemy soldiers started to approach her cautiously, as she fumbled through her pockets for her very last weapon, one that she had almost forgot about._

 _Slowly, so that the enemies couldn't tell what she was doing, she pulled a grenade out of her pocket. She moved it so that it was under her body, and slowly depressed the spoon, before she gave a sharp jerk on its pin, removing it and allowing her to press the spoon down the rest of the way, arming the grenade. She guessed that all of the remaining men were within five feet of her. She grinned weakly. This'll show these bastards not to tangle with a demon, she thought. That made her laugh loudly. Then she heard one of the enemies speak English to her._

" _Why are you laughing Demon," he asked. She kept chuckling as she raised her head slightly to stare at the speaker._

" _Because you fuckers are about to die," she said as she released her grip on the grenades spoon, starting the timer. The men stared at her in confusion, before she quickly rolled onto her back and held the grenade up in the air. "I'll see you bastards in hell!" she shouted, before the grenade went off, killing her and the remaining enemies in a fiery explosion._

 **[POV: Zero]**

As he was kissing her, he felt her body stiffen for a moment, just like Luna's had. Then she was back to normal and returned his kiss. While it wasn't supposed to mean anything, he knew it meant something to her. He could feel it, and not just because of his abilities. He could feel it in the passion with which she kissed him. So he kept kissing her for as long as she wanted.

' _Awh, now that's sweet,'_ Gabe sent him. _'I wake to find you two locked in a sweet embrace. How beautiful.'_

' _Fuck off, Gabe,'_ he sent back. _'Why the hell are you awake anyway?'_

' _Dunno, just woke up. Oh, just to let you know, Tal's awake. He's looking at you two right now.'_

' _Well shit.'_

' _No kidding. He seems just slightly upset. You are kissing his girl, after all.'_

' _Hell no I ain't. They didn't hook up while I was gone, so she obviously doesn't feel a whole lot for him.'_

' _That's just how he sees it, my friend. He's coming towards you two.'_

' _Keep him away from us. This doesn't concern him.'_

' _You got it boss.'_

' _Also, make it so he can't speak for the moment. I don't want Lura to feel bad, and him shouting at us will definitely do that. Plus, people are sleeping.'_

' _Already did that a while ago. See, I'm smarter than you give me credit for."_

Zero smiled slightly at his partner's comment, which made Lura smile as well. He returned to focusing on kissing her.

After a solid minute long kiss, he finally pulled away, smiling at her. At least she wasn't uncomfortable anymore. He just hoped that she wouldn't fall for him too hard. He didn't want things to turn out like his past relationships. She deserved better.

"Uhm… wow," she said breathlessly. He winked at her.

"Glad you enjoyed it sweetheart. Do you believe me now?" he asked.

She nodded. He wasn't even touching her and he could feel the waves of happiness coming off her. He felt slightly uneasy because of that.

' _Oh no,'_ he sent. _'She's fallen in love with me.'_

' _Well no shit, especially after you treat her to that,'_ came Gabe's reply.

' _I should really learn to not flirt so much. People always think that I'm serious.'_

' _It's your own fault.'_

' _Never said it wasn't.'_

"So, what did you see?" he asked Lura.

She frowned slightly before replying. "I saw how you died the first time."

He nodded understandingly. "Ah, operation shit-storm. I loved that mission right from the start. Eliminate two high value targets, and then check to see what sort of deal they were making. I don't even know if the other team got what they needed, so I may have died for nothing."

"That's not true! You saved your comrades lives! That's definitely not dying for nothing," Lura exclaimed.

He shushed her. "Shh! People are sleeping you know. Oh, that reminds me. We should probably get to bed as well. I haven't slept in two days, and you were out all day. So, if you want to stay up for a while longer, then be my guest. I'll see you in the morning."

"That's alright, I'll go to bed too," she said in a quieter voice. Then she seemed to hesitate. Zero rolled his eyes.

"What?" he asked her. She nodded to herself, and then asked, "Would it be alright if I were to… erhm, sleep with you?"

' _Yeap, she's in love with you,'_ Gabe told him.

' _Told you.'_

To Lura, he shrugged. "I don't see why not. You can keep me warm," he said with a wink. Inwardly, he laughed as she blushed. _She really is stunning when she does that,_ he thought.

' _I heard that.'_

' _Get out of my head.'_

He led the way over to the tree line, where he laid down under a tree. He gestured with his tail for her to lay down next to him. She laid down a little ways away from him, although he could tell that she wanted to be closer to him. He sighed internally, although externally nothing changed. He put a foreleg over her side, before pulling her in towards him.

"I told you that you could keep me warm," he murmured. He felt a glow of happiness coming from her.

' _What do you want me to do about our furry jolteon friend,'_ Gabe asked him.

' _Put him to sleep, I'll deal with him in the morning.'_

' _Got it. You realize that he hates you again, right?'_

' _Meh, who cares. He can't harm me and he certainly wouldn't harm Lura, so I don't give a damn.'_

' _Thought you didn't love her.'_

' _You know damn well that I probably wouldn't even know if I was in love. If the time comes, I'll ask you. It's what I did with Luna.'_

' _You need to figure out your emotions.'_

' _But that's what you're here for.'_

' _Yeah, yeah. Go to bed, demon.'_

' _You're the boss.'_

He buried his nose in Lura's fur gently, holding her body so that it fit perfectly with his. The humans called this spooning, but he didn't need to let Lura know that. He stroked her stomach lightly, causing her to murr in delight. He didn't know why he did these things to people. They just sort of happened, and he couldn't stop himself. He didn't mean anything by it, but they always read something from it.

"Goodnight, Lura," he told her softly.

"Goodnight, Aurumn," came her soft reply. He felt a slight jolt in his heart as she said that, yet he couldn't explain why.

 _Who knows,_ he thought. _Maybe I will one day._

 **[POV: Lura]**

Lura slept wonderfully that night. She just felt so… safe and comfortable. She didn't know why he made her feel that way, but he did. And really, she wasn't going to complain. If something makes you feel good, and it's not harming anyone, then why fight it?

Her dream that night was very peaceful, among other words. She didn't remember most of it, but she didn't need to really. All she knew is that she was happy. She was still slightly out of it when she woke up in the morning, however. She was just a little slow escaping her dreamscape. This caused her to do something slightly stupid when she was woken up.

She felt someone nudging the back of her neck gently, trying to wake her. She murmured softly and snuggled back into the lovely warmth behind her. The nudge became slightly more insistent, followed by a dreamy voice saying, "Lura, it's time to get up." She blearily opened her eyes and turned her head to face the voice.

There she saw an incredibly handsome umbreon, who was staring at her with kind eyes. She smiled at him, and before she could really comprehend what was happening, she pushed her face towards him and found his lips with her own. Zero's eyes widened in surprise.

Lura was jolted out of her stupor by Rio, who poked her back. Then her eyes widened and she broke away, blushing brightly. "I-I-I, uhh, s-sorry!" she stammered. She jumped to her feet and ran to where the campfire was the night before, before hiding her face behind her tail. _This is so embarrassing!_ She didn't really know how she could come back from that.

"Uh, well that was interesting," Stephen said. Then Lura lowered her tail slightly to peak out from behind it. They were all staring at her, with Tal looking furious. Then Stephen cleared his throat and turned to Zero, who still looked dumbfounded. "You might as well turn human, so that you can tell the rest what you told me."

Wolfe shook himself and nodded. Then he closed his eyes and concentrated. There was a dark flash, and suddenly Wolfe was human again, still missing his shirt. He shook his head and blinked a couple times. "Well, alright then," he said.

Tal and Rio stared at him in shock, jaws open slightly. Wolfe winked at them. "Surprise guys, it's me," he told them with a grin. Then his face turned serious and he turned to Lura. She flinched slightly, thinking that he was going to be upset with her.

"Stop that, Lura. I'm not mad at you, just a little surprised. But no matter, come over here, all of you," he told them. Lura made her way over to the group, still feeling self-conscious as Tal turned his glare on her. Wolfe noticed this as well. "Tal, stop that. It doesn't concern you. Now, listen up everyone, this is important," he said.

Everyone turned their attention to Wolfe as he began to speak. "I'm going to tell you all now that we'll be living out here for a while, so we need to start making ourselves comfortable. Start building a home among other things," he started. Tal interrupted.

"Why?" he asked. Wolfe looked at Lura sadly.

"Lura, do you remember a few years ago, when we first met, how you told me that your miltank Bertha had died of some sort of sickness?" he asked her. She nodded.

"Well, it turns out that she had a form of the plague. A deadly form. Your family brought it with them to Nor, the largest city in the region."

Lura felt her blood turn cold. "Are… are they alright?" she asked worriedly.

Wolfe shook his head sadly. "No, no they aren't. As I said, they brought the sickness with them. They were the first to fall to it."

Lura felt her heart shatter into little pieces. She immediately ran to him and started crying hard, as he stooped and picked her up into his arms. She buried her face in his bare shoulder and just sobbed. "When did they die?" she cried.

Wolfe stroked her head gently. "Around three years ago, before I went to Nor. I would have told you sooner, but I got sick as well. I was sick for three years myself, before some ass-hat came along and stabbed me. That cured me."

Lura kept crying. All she could think about was that she would never see Gary, or Charles, or his mom, or any of them, ever again.

"So how are things in Nor?" Rio asked.

"The city is in turmoil. Two-thirds of the population are sick, with the other third being dead. The government issued a city-wide quarantine about two years ago, but it was too late. It had already spread. All the townships in Norovia have been infected, as well as those in Widia, Darvia, and Memoria. Taria locked its gates in time, but there have been no reports coming from the city itself. When I went to see how things were last year, I only saw smoke coming from it. Taria has become a city of the dead. The northern part of Foria has also fallen to it, although this has only happened recently, so you wouldn't have heard of it. The government is trying to keep things under wraps. It's safe to say that Forn is the last sickness free township, although that won't last for long."

They all stared at him in shock, though Lura wasn't really listening. She was too caught up in her own thoughts.

The group asked a few more questions, before Wolfe decided that they had asked enough.

"There are a few things that we need to do. One, Gabe can teleport people out of the city, as well as check to see if they are sick. If there is anything or anyone that you want out before it's too late, ask him. Two, Stephen, we need to start building some sort of shelter. We are around two hours from the nearest township, should be more than enough distance to keep us safe from any sickness. Betty, as I said, we're going to be out here for a few years at the very least. At most, the rest of your lives. You have some farming experience, so you will need to start working on that. Stephen and I can hunt, but that will only support us for so long," he told them.

They all nodded. "Alright, now I'm going to go for a walk with Lura, you all know what needs to be done."

With that, everyone split off to do as they were told, mostly grouping around Gabe to tell him what they need. Wolfe, still holding Lura, headed into the forest.

After a little while, her sobs started to die down, and she just simply gripped him tightly. "Thank you," she whispered to him.

"I'm sorry that I had to be the bearer of bad news, Lura."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault that they died. There's nothing that you could have done. I should probably be thanking you, if I had stayed with them here in Foria, I would probably be dead as well."

"Well, I'm glad that you don't hate me," he told her.

 _I don't think that I could,_ she thought, though she didn't say anything, as she watched the trees pass by. After he had walked for a while, they reached a little spring, filled with clear blue water. Just looking at it made Lura feel a little better.

"This is a hot springs," Wolfe told her. "I figured that since you're a vaporeon, a water type, that you'd like this. The water is a lot warmer than normal, due to some scientific bullshit that I can't remember off the top of my head. Anyways, I think that you'll enjoy it here."

With that, he set her down. She smiled up at him slightly. "Thank you. I haven't been in water for I don't know how long, except for bathing."

He nodded with a smile. "I thought you'd like it."

Then she turned back towards the springs and padded towards them. She glanced back over her shoulder at him. "Are you joining me?" she asked.

He grinned and nodded. "Just give me a moment, I'll change." Then he closed his eyes and concentrated again, before there was another dark flash and he was an umbreon again.

Then he shook himself, before giving Lura another grin. Then he ran past her and jumped into the water.

Lura smiled slightly. Then she dove into the water as well. She immediately felt a wonderful warmth surround her entirely, and couldn't help but feel happier. She twirled in the water, before she tried to find Zero. At first, she couldn't find him, and was slightly worried, until she felt something poke her side. Then she twisted and saw him floating right next to her, still wearing his cocky grin.

' _While I can't breathe underwater, I can hold it for around two minutes,'_ a voice said in her head. She flinched, not expecting that.

' _Don't panic, I'm just using telepathy. Any pokemon that can learn the move psychic can use it, although not all take the time to expand that technique. I, however, had training from Gabe,'_ Zero told her.

She frowned, not sure how she would respond.

' _You're marked, so you should be able to reply to me. Just try talking to me in your head.'_

' _Can you hear me?'_ she tried.

' _You got it! Now, let's swim for a bit.'_

Lura nodded. They spent the next couple hours at the springs, in which time Lura almost forgot about the Peterson's deaths. They would occasionally take breaks on the shore, mostly because Zero couldn't breathe under water. Lura didn't have that problem, but she joined him anyway. She wished that she knew why she liked being around him so much. She had a suspicion that she was the only one who didn't know though.

She asked him during one of their breaks as they both laid down to stare at the water. However, it did make her slightly nervous. "Wolfe," she started. He looked at her curiously. "Can… can you answer a couple questions for me?"

He shrugged. "Ask away," he told her.

She gulped. "Can… can you tell me why I feel different when I'm around you?"

He frowned. "Feel different in what way," he asked.

She looked down at her paws. "Like… I don't know. I'm just a lot happier I guess. My heart goes a bit crazy whenever you touch or smile at me, and sometimes I find it hard to breathe, although it doesn't feel bad. It's like… like a good pain, I'd guess. I don't know, but that's the best way I can describe it."

He let out a slight strangling sound. She turned her attention back to him quickly. He was staring at her with a shocked expression, a red tinge showing through his dark fur. _Is he… is he blushing,_ she wondered?

He then shook his head. "That's… not something you get told every day," he said.

"So, you know why?" she asked.

He hesitated, before nodding. "Yes, yes I do. But, I'm not going to tell you. It's something that you need to figure out for yourself. I will tell you that I am profoundly flattered though."

She frowned. Then he smiled at her brightly, "I think that we've rested enough. Let's go back in."

He didn't wait for a response, and just jumped back into the water. She shook her head before joining him. For the moment, she wouldn't dwell on it.

Around two hours after that conversation, Wolfe decided that they should go back and see what needs doing.

 **[POV: Zero]**

 _This might be a problem,_ he thought.

' _What might?'_ Gabe asked.

' _Lura just told me that she is in love with me. And quit snooping in my head.'_

' _Whoa, really? And I wasn't snooping. Something just caught my attention as I was looking through it.'_

' _That's the definition of snooping in my book. And she doesn't know she's in love with me. She told me all the symptoms though.'_

' _You know, you make love sound like an illness. It's actually a wonderful thing. You should give it another chance.'_

' _I'm not against being in love. I'm against people loving me.'_

' _Then stop being so damn loveable.'_

' _Can't help my charm. What should I do about Lura?'_

' _Give it a chance. Wait a week or so, and if she still feels the same way, give her a chance.'_

' _At what?'_

' _Loving each other.'_

They stopped talking after that. Lura was glancing at him occasionally, wearing a happy smile, seemingly forgetting about Gary. But when he flicked her side with his tail, he sensed that she was still horribly depressed about them.

"You seem happier," he told her with a smile. Hers widened as she nodded.

"I feel a lot happier," she said. He nodded understandingly.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, with Lura seemingly unconsciously walking close to him, so that their sides touched.

When they reached the clearing again, Gabe was gone along with Stephen, and Betty was stacking firewood. Tal was staring into space, in deep thought. When he spotted them, his expression changed into a frown. He made his way over to them, although he didn't appear aggressive.

"So, you're Wolfe?" he asked. "The great war hero, the amazing mercenary, the ruthless assassin and the destroyer of lives?"

Lura frowned, and started to speak, before Zero held up a paw. If he wanted to play, he could play.

"All of this is accurate. Your point?" he asked.

Tal's face grew angrier. "You don't even deny anything that I've accused you of?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Why deny it if it's true? Was there any particular reason as to why you're bringing these things up?"

"I saw you two last night. I was going to stop you, before your psychic friend stopped me."

Zero raised an eyebrow. "Stop me from doing what?"

Tal glared at him. "From seducing her!" he shouted, pointing a paw at Lura, who was speechless.

Zero just shook his head. "I'm not seducing anyone Tal. Point in fact, she asked me to kiss her for a reason. Nothing romantic about it."

Tal stared at him in disbelief. "Then what about this morning?" he asked in an outraged tone.

This time, Zero turned to look at Lura, with a slight smile. She blushed. "That was all her. I was just trying to wake her," he told him.

Then he turned his attention back to Tal, his face losing all happy expressions. "You know, I've never understood jealousy. You can't really own someone, can you? And really, it's their choice who they love and who they don't right? So why make a scene over it? Move on with your life. If you aren't chosen by someone, don't hate them for their choice."

Lura started blushing once he had mentioned love. He guessed that she was figuring out what her emotions were, now that he'd said the name for them. He'd deal with that later. Then he sighed.

"Tal, you're a great guy, but you are way to possessive. Learn to let go. If you end up being someone's choice, great. If you end up being her choice, super. More power to you. But don't get angry for no reason." He poked the jolteon gently with a paw, before leaving him and Lura behind. He felt unusually angry right now. That never happened to him. Then he sighed, and laid down under a tree.

He stayed there for a long time, hearing Lura and Tal talk in the background, though he didn't really care to try and listen to them. That changed, however, when they started yelling. He mentally groaned.

Finally, the two stopped arguing, and went in separate directions. Zero heard Lura coming towards him. She stopped when she was about a foot away.

"Wolfe," she started. "Am… am I in love with you?"

 _Well, that happened sooner than I had thought,_ he thought.

He opened an eye to look at her. She was sitting with a lost look on her face. _Poor gal,_ he thought. He nodded.

She was silent for a moment, processing this. Then she asked, "Are… are you in love with me?"

 _Oh boy, there's that question. She really does move fast, doesn't she? The real question is what should I tell her. Am I in love with her? No. No I am not. But I can't exactly tell her that, now can I? I'm the first pokemon that she's felt this way about. I don't want this to go badly for her._

Wolfe mentally sighed. He knew what he had to tell her.

"Yes, Lura. Yes I am."

* * *

 **Whoo-hoo! 5 chapters done, with lots more to go. This is my longest chapter too, so there's that as well. I was actually slightly hesitant to upload this chapter, mainly due to the fact that I revealed a lot of info. But, I figured that it can't be that bad. Fun fact: while I was at basic training for the army, my nickname was actually Zero, for the same reasons as it is Wolfe's. Shot a perfect 40 every time. Should note that I am no longer in the military. I actually don't really like talking about it due to the fact that I got discharged, but it is what it is. I was discharged by choice when they couldn't find me a slot for AIT and my PTSD, from prior to service I should mention, got real bad for a while. But that's all I'll say on that. I'm not the best with romance, at least writing them anyway. But, this is a romance fic, so I thought it was time to actually include some romance. Also, I was debating on what first name to give Wolfe/Zero, but in the end, none of my names really fit him, and since he is based off of me, I decided to give him my own name. Thus, Aurumn Wolfe. Also, I seriously don't get jealousy. Like, why be jealous? I dunno. In all of my relationships, I've never once been jealous. But oh well. Tal, the jealous jolteon. Some nice alliteration right there. Should also note that no, Tal is not going to be a bad guy. Who knows, things might end up in his favor as well. Doubt it, since I'm the writer, but you never know. Ugh, I'm rambling again. My defense, it's 1:30 in the morning. Anycase, I'd appreciate any advice as to what you all would like me to include in the story in the future, as well as anything I could fix. See you all next chapter!**

 **-Aurumn**


	7. Chapter 6: A New Home

**A/N: Hey all, Aurumn again. So, I'm having internet problems. Joys of being an adult, right? Kids, if I can give you any advice, don't grow old. Be like Wolfe. What am I saying, there's no kids here, right? If there are, meh. You do you. I posted a warning, so I'm not to blame if people get offended. Although I will try to not do that to anyone. Anyways, Wolfe/Lura anyone? Or were y'all hoping that she'd get with the jolteon? Meh, who knows what the future holds. She and Tal might have their moments. Actually though, what do you all think of my characters? Like, who's your favorite one? Again, I know that I'm not the best at making them, but I hope I'm not doing too bad. I really need to give Tal more screen time. Right now, he's a very unknown commodity. Not sure where to go with him tbh. Eh, I'll figure something out. Because there's no internet as I'm writing this, I can't really give an update on views or questions. Last I checked we were nearing 300 views, probably past that by now. Damn. All I can say. Damn. Anyway, long spiel is over. Enjoy the chapter, should be some more romance unless I space on it again. Like with Tal.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliates. I do own my OC's and the story that I've put them in however.**

* * *

 **[POV: Lura 910 BBF]**

 _ **{The time has come. Look after her.}**_

 _ **[Don't I anyway?]**_

The next few days were… different for Lura. She found out that she was in love with Wolfe, as well as him being in love with her. This shocked her, as she had never really thought about love while staying with the Peterson's. She never even considered someone loving her at all, even after moving. Not that she was complaining. She had caught the eye of a great, if a little eccentric, pokemon. The fact that he was also a human only added to the unbelievableness of it all.

It had been a few weeks since they left the city. Gabe and Stephen had convinced a carpenter to come live in their group, as well as his family, plus his pokemon friend and her family. Supposedly the carpenter, whose name was Eric, also sold jewelry, selling Wolfe the necklace that he'd bought for her years ago. She never took it off, really. It was just as beautiful as the day she received it.

She was also happy that his friend was a familiar gardevoir, named Ariel. She and her kirlia and ralts children had come with him. That, combined with the fact that Rose and Pink had both joined them, made it so that Lura was never lacking in things to do. Pink even brought her own love interest, a male sylveon named Ellis. Rose was happy to see her, and she was actually supportive of Lura's budding relationship with Wolfe.

"Nice catch, girl!" she had told Lura. Lura just blushed and said thanks.

Really, the only person that wasn't alright with their relationship was Tal, but he wasn't being downright rude to either of them because of it. She guessed that what Wolfe had told him had gotten through to him.

Stephen also convinced a blacksmith by the name of Henry to move as well. Apparently, he had had family in Darvia and hadn't heard from them in months. When Stephen told him about the plague, he was only to eager to move out. He was currently rebuilding his smithy, using some of the tools that Gabe had brought for him.

A random person who worked at an inn had joined them as well. He became the group cook, as that's what he did in Forn. He didn't tell them his name, just asked that he be called Cook. He had a wife and two kids as well.

There were only a few other people that joined them, but it was enough that they could start their own little village. Lura felt a little excitement about that thought, although she didn't say so out loud. After all, people were dying elsewhere.

Wolfe and Stephen were drawing up plans for houses, although they did need to clear a lot of trees to do so. Luckily, Eric had brought along all of his tools as well, so they had saws that they could use to cut them down. After that, a bit of man power and a lot of patience dug the stumps up. Wolfe was very active when it came to that, and Lura found herself staring at him as he worked quite often. She still thought he was very handsome, even when in human form.

One time, when he was sawing away at a rather large tree with his shirt off, sweat glistening on his bare abs and pecs, he caught Lura looking at him. She found that she just couldn't help but stare at him, something about his appearance kept drawing her eyes to him. When she noticed him looking at her, she blushed and hid her face. Wolfe just grinned and winked at her, before continuing his task.

While they were designing the houses layout, Lura heard a rather interesting conversation.

"I don't see what the point of having a sloped roof is! All of our other homes had a flat roof. Why change that?" Stephen had complained.

"Stephen, we are in mountains. The elevation is a lot higher, and so, it's naturally colder. We'll be getting snow at some point, and while a flat roof is fine and dandy in milder climates, they won't support the weight of all that frozen water. We need to roofs slanted so that the snow and wet will just slide off," Wolfe explained patiently.

"I wouldn't know, I've never lived in a snowy environment."

"Then consider this a learning exercise. If the roof is flat, you risk it collapsing. You decide how you want to build your house, I'll decide how to build mine. And when winter comes and you find yourself out of a home, don't come crying to me."

"Wolfe, it's stupid! A waste of resources!"

"Stephen. Shut up. Now, let's get back to planning," Wolfe told him, ending the conversation. Lura giggled.

However, that conversation did raise another question for her. When night had arrived and they were all sitting around a few campfires, Wolfe had turned back into his umbreon form so that he and Lura could relax together, both of them laying down in the same position as when they had slept together that first night. Conversation was flowing around the four fires that they had constructed, and because Gabe was such a powerful psychic, he could make it so that in a certain area around him, humans would be able to understand pokemon that they normally wouldn't. Thus, there was opportunity for a lot more conversation. At Lura and Wolfe's fire there was Rose, Pink, Ariel and Ellis.

Lura took this opportunity to ask the question plaguing her mind.

"Aurumn," she started. "We're all going to be living in separate houses, right?"

He nodded, stroking her side with a paw as he did so. "That's correct. Why?"

"Well, I was wondering… will I be living with the Bailey's again?"

He frowned slightly. "That was the original plan, yes. Why? Do you not want to?"

Lura blushed slightly. "Well… I was wondering if I could live with you?" she asked, before burying her face in her paws.

He was silent for a long time, and when Lura finally couldn't take it and looked up at him, he surprised her by kissing her gently, causing her heart to skip a beat.

When they broke away, he grinned at her. "Of course you can! And Lura, you don't need to feel embarrassed when asking me questions like that. No-one's going to make fun of you, least of all me. This is your first relationship, so you wouldn't know, but I'm always going to be there for you. No matter what you ask me or say."

He kissed her again, and this time Lura was ready for it, although it still took her breath away.

"Get a room, you two!" Gabe called to them, as he sat at another fire with Stephen and Eric.

Lura felt Wolfe grin into her mouth, before suddenly he was standing over her, kissing her even more forcefully and passionately as she laid on her back. Lura opened her eyes wide in shock, though she wasn't complaining. She saw that he was staring at her with a strange fire in his eyes, one that made her heart beat furiously as she struggled to keep up with him. He then licked her mouth softly, causing Lura to open it reflexively. Immediately he entered it, and started exploring with his tongue, causing Lura to moan softly.

She didn't know what she should do, so she just closed her eyes again and decided to mimic his action with her own tongue. They fought like that for a long time, and Lura could vaguely hear Gabe groan in the background. She found that she didn't care though, instead focusing on her tongue battle with Wolfe.

Finally, he broke off the kiss, and she opened her eyes to still see that same fire, though it was fainter. He grinned at her, before kissing her softly once more. Then he hopped off her, leaving her to catch her breath.

 _What just happened,_ she thought.

Then she shook herself, and, blushing deeply the whole time, got to her feet. She noticed that a few people were looking at them, such as Gabe, Stephen, Betty, Ariel, Rose, Pink, Ellis and Eric.

Wolfe was just grinning at her. Slowly she felt her heart rate decrease, and she started to smile back at him.

"I suppose that was just to teach me to not open my mouth, huh?" Gabe asked. Without waiting for an answer, he immediately turned to Stephen and Eric. "I say we build their house first, so that we don't need to watch shows like that." The group laughed, before agreeing.

Wolfe then chuckled. "See, that's all I gotta do to get my house to be a priority," he told them.

They laughed again. Lura laughed as well, though she hoped that he would do that more often. He seemed to know exactly what she was thinking as he winked at her again.

"Don't worry, love. There'll be more of that later. If you want, I can even take things further, though not in public. Innocent eyes and all that," he said mischievously. Lura's fading blush returned in full force. She knew what he meant.

Apparently, Rose did as well, as she giggled with a paw pressed to her muzzle. "That sounds fun! Can I join when the time comes?"

Lura hid behind her tail again, the conversation embarrassing her. She had to admit that she was curious though.

Wolfe laughed. "Only if Lura is alright with that," he told her. Lura lowered her tail slightly to stare at him. She had expected him to outright refuse.

"What about me? Can I join?" Ellis asked, to Lura's shock. Wolfe chuckled.

"Of course! I don't discriminate," he said with another wink. "Again, only if Lura is alright with it though."

Rose giggled. "Well, I'm sure that she can be convinced, right?" She turned to Lura. "You would be alright with that, right?" she asked her.

Lura blushed, before she decided to try and step out of her comfort zone. "Sure! Sounds fun," she told the three. Rose and Ellis laughed, as Wolfe made a strangling sound. He obviously wasn't expecting that answer.

Now it was her turn to grin cheekily at him. She was starting to understand why he acted the way he did. It was a lot of fun for her. Wolfe smiled and shook his head. "You never cease to surprise me, Lura," he told her.

She walked up to him and kissed him lightly. "Good," she said.

Later that night, when they had all turned in to sleep, Lura went to the spot where she and Wolfe had been sleeping, when she noticed that she didn't know where he was. She started padding around the group site, searching for him though she didn't call out so as not to wake anyone. Then she heard voices coming from within the forest. She slowly headed towards their sound, curious as to who it was. Then she entered another clearing where she saw Gabe and Wolfe, in his pokemon form, talking to eachother.

"I just don't know, Gabe," Wolfe was saying.

"I don't think it's really that complicated. It is a relationship, after all. They're supposed to develop," came the calm reply.

"I know, but it's been a while and I had forgotten."

"That's why you don't wait so long."

"If I hadn't waited, would I really be in the same situation with her though?"

"Good point."

"I've also never came that close to losing control either. Not even with Luna."

"What do you mean?"

"After you made the comment about getting a room, I had to fight myself to control my urges. Almost ignored all sense of reason, and took her right there."

"That would have been awkward," Gabe said with a slight chuckle.

"No kidding. But I've never gotten to that point before. Hell, if she had so much as bitten me I probably would have lost it."

Lura blinked slowly. _Was that the look that I saw in his eyes earlier,_ she wondered?

"I don't need to know of your kinks, partner."

Wolfe snorted. "Yeah, yeah." He shook himself and sighed. Then he looked at Lura.

"I take it that you're waiting for me?" he asked her.

She blinked, then nodded. _I forgot that he knows when I'm near._

He grinned at her. "Alright, I'm coming." Then he walked over to her before touching his nose to hers. "Lead the way," he told her.

"Acting like a gentleman just so you can watch her ass, you sly demon you," Gabe called.

Lura blushed, staring at Wolfe, who just shook his head in amusement. "Gabe, you make chivalry seem so dead. Can't I be a gentleman just to be a gentleman?"

Gabe stared, unimpressed. "It's you, demon. You can't be a gentleman."

Wolfe let out a laugh. Then he gestured to Lura to continue walking. "If I'm being accused of being a demon, I might as well act the part."

Lura blushed, before leading the way back to their sleeping area. After Wolfe had laid down to get comfortable, Lura decided to snuggle up against him immediately, as opposed to sleeping a ways away and having him pull her in. Wolfe let out a slight, happy sound that made her smile. _I'm glad that he loves me,_ she thought.

After that night, their new home started to develop quickly. After a good portion of land had been cleared away, they started erecting temporary shacks that would provide them with more shelter than just sleeping outside under the stars. They had brought blankets with them, and Gabe made a special trip to get mattresses from their old homes. To save space, Wolfe had decided that he and Lura could share his bed rather than having both of their mattress in the little hut.

"I told you that you need to keep me warm," he told her, with his customary wink. She just nodded her head and smiled.

Lura found that she was happy again. She didn't forget the Peterson's instead she just decided to remember their happy times. It was the only way she knew how to cope.

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

Wolfe crept through the bushes silently in his human form, trying not to scare away the sawsbuck that he had been tracking for a few days. With him was Lura and Gabe. It had been around three months since they had left civilization and had started building their own village. Progress was moving steadily, and Gabe had made many trips back into Forn, getting as many people out as he could. About a month ago, the plague had finally reached Forn, with its usual devastating effects. The entire city had fallen ill, barring High Point, as they had closed their gates as soon as word had gotten to them of the plague.

Luckily, Gabe had managed to rescue around 200 people and pokemon before it was too late, and all of them were clear of any kind of sickness. Houses were starting to be put up, with sloped roofs he might add, and people were starting to get back into their daily routines. Instead of the camp it had been, it was now starting to actually look like a village.

Only problem was food. They did have crops and berries planted, but those wouldn't be a reliable source of food for a long time. So, they decided to send out hunting parties, as well as those who decided to fish in the nearby river. Wolfe always made sure that he was on a hunting party, as he knew he was good at it. Where other parties brought home a sawsbuck or two, his parties, no matter the size, brought home dozens. Admittedly he could cheat a bit by having Gabe teleport their kills back to the village, which didn't have a name at this point. This allowed him to stay out for days on end.

This particular hunting trip, Lura had asked to tag along. He was a little hesitant, as he knew that she'd never seen anything die before, and he worried that it would upset her. She had just told him that if they were to be mates, she wanted to be able to do everything that he did, regardless of what it was.

That was another dilemma for Wolfe. His relationship with Lura. While he couldn't deny that he enjoyed her company, and absolutely loved to hold her as they slept, he still couldn't tell her truthfully that he loved her. Luckily, he was a great liar, though he tried not to.

As soon as he got a good angle on the sawsbuck, he drew back his bow and aimed. This always reminded him of his previous life. He let out a slight smile as he released the arrow, sending it flying towards the buck. It hit him behind his right foreleg, and about halfway up its body. _Perfect,_ he thought as the buck fell without a sound. He heard Lura let out a slight gasp. Internally he sighed. More or less what he expected. Luckily, she didn't throw up.

"Is it always that… easy?" she asked quietly.

Wolfe looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Do you mean hunting? If so, yeah, pretty much. Hunting is all about patience. If you meant me killing something, then yeah to that too, though it wasn't at first. Over time you get used to it, you sort of get numb. It helps not to dwell on it."

She frowned slightly. "Is that why you're always so nonchalant when talking about killing?"

He nodded before turning back to the buck, and started walking towards it. As soon as he reached it, he noticed that it was quite old. Easily 20 years, which is way older than most sawsbuck live. _It led a long life. Not sure about good, but long,_ he thought.

He then turned to Gabe, and was about to tell him to bring it back to the village, when he heard a growling sound. He froze, and every sense of his went on high-alert. Gabe also froze, while Lura looked around with wide eyes.

' _Stay calm, Lura. Gabe and I will handle this,'_ he told her. She nodded, and crept slightly closer to Wolfe.

Wolfe closed his eyes and listened. He heard pawsteps, panting breath and twigs crackling as the pack of pokemon circled around them, trapping them. He opened his eyes and breathed out softly. "13," he said. Gabe nodded.

"Lura, there are 13 mightyena encircling us. Don't panic, and don't move very quickly. They're after our buck," Wolfe told Lura.

"Oh, I don't know about that, human," a voice growled behind him. "That vaporeon looks like she can provide me with a lot of entertainment and _pleasure._ Such a shapely body, and she looks like she has a lot of stamina. I think that we'll take her too."

Wolfe stiffened, a primal rage building inside of him.

Gabe spoke to the mightyena who had spoken, who was apparently the alpha. "Well shit, you're making him mad. Didn't think that would happen that fast."

The voice snorted. "As if I'm worried. You are outnumbered four to one. I think that you best comply."

Wolfe felt his anger start to build. Gabe placed a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Aurumn. He's trying to get a rise out of you. Don't let him."

Wolfe slowly felt his anger fade. Gabe only called him by his first name when he was seriously worried. He shook himself lightly, before grinning and speaking in a cheerful voice. "Now, now, where's the fairness in this? There's only two pokemon with me, and I am merely a human. Does that seem right to you?" he asked.

The voice growled. "I didn't come here for a fair fight, human. I came here for the water whore and the buck. I didn't lead my pack through 13 years by playing cleanly."

Wolfe felt his eyelid twitch, but he kept his voice light. He was waiting for some of the pack to get impatient and rush him. "You should really treat her with more respect. After all, you are speaking to her mate," he said before slowly drawing out his knives. He heard Lura let out a little squeak at what he had said, but he ignored it.

"Whatever, human. If you choose to fight us, all I can say is that I'll just go even harder on her when I fuck her later. Last chance to leave without a fight, human. Don't make the wrong choice," the mightyena said.

Wolfe twirled his knives expertly, before gripping them tightly, his left blade in a reverse grip. "Well then, shall we get started?" he asked, before getting in a ready position.

"It's your funeral, human," the mightyena said. Then a twitch of his ears had the entire pack charging towards them.

Wolfe felt time start to slow for him, although to him it looked like he was moving at his normal pace. The first dog that reached him had electricity crackling in his jaws. _Great, electric pack probably,_ he thought. Then he brought his left fist up into its jaw with an incredible amount of force, sending it crashing to the side. He didn't waste any time on focusing on his next target, which was coming up on his right.

With expert timing, he cut the hyena's throat with a swing of his right arm, causing it to collapse and choke on its own blood.

Wolfe then ran at another two, one of which fired a dark ball at him. Wolfe saw it coming and jumped to the side, causing the shadow ball to pass harmlessly behind him. The two pokemon then leaped at him when they go close enough. Wolfe kicked one in its head, sending it flying, then slammed his left blade into the side of the other one's neck, severing the artery located there, and quickly pulling the blade out. He flipped his right blade into a reverse grip as well.

' _Two killed, two down for the count. That makes four. What's your count, Gabe?'_ he sent, as he dodged out of the way of another tackle.

' _Killed three, knocked out one. So about even. Eight down, four to go, plus asshole alpha,'_ came the reply.

Wolfe swiped his left hand across the throat of a third mightyena, before he felt Lura's mark activate. _Of course, send a hound in as we're distracted._ He concentrated slightly, before he winked out of existence and back, though this time he was standing in between Lura and another mightyena running at her, this one slightly larger, though it wasn't the alpha. Before the mightyena even realized what was happening, Wolfe crouched down slightly, before shoving himself into the mightyena, forcing it to a stop as he grabbed it into a bear hug. Then he twisted his body and threw it into the ground, before plunging his right blade into its chest.

Just as he stood up, he felt something hit him from behind, and grunted as he rolled with the blow, losing his knives in the process. He ended up lying underneath the alpha, who was definitely larger than any of the other ones. It lunged at his throat, but he caught its jaw with his left forearm. It bit down hard, glaring at him.

Wolfe felt the bones in his arm crack under the pressure, but didn't let the pain show on his face. He punched the dog in the side with as much force as he could muster. He felt one of its ribs crack, and smiled thinly as it yelped through its teeth. It started to bite down harder. He it again, in the same spot, causing it to yelp again. He drew back his fist to hit it a third time, but before he could throw the punch he saw what looked like a white streak punch through the alpha's side, piercing its heart in the process. The hyena's eyes glazed over and its jaw slackened. Wolfe threw its corpse off to the side

Then he sat up and turned to the direction of where the beam had come from. He saw Lura, looking furiously at the dead dog. Wolfe blinked in surprise. _Well shit,_ he thought. _I didn't think she had that in her._

Gabe had killed the last of the mightyena, and was staring at Lura with a shocked expression.

"Uhhh…" he said, voice trailing off. He blinked. That was when Lura realized they were both staring at her. She let out a squeak and she instantly lost her furious expression, before hiding behind her tail again.

"I-I'm sorry!" she said. "But, I just couldn't stand to see you get hurt like that, Aurumn."

He shook his head lightly to try and clear it. Then he turned to Gabe. "I think you should take the buck back to the village now. Lura and I will stay out here, I'll just be in my umbreon form so that my arm doesn't bother me."

The gallade snapped out of his stupor and nodded. "You got it, I'll be taking my leave now. Have fun you two!" Then he and the buck disappeared.

Wolfe concentrated, and felt the familiar shape of the umbreon take over him. He shook himself, before padding towards Lura, who seemed to be crying softly.

"Lura, what's wrong?" he asked. She sniffed, before lowering her tail. She was indeed crying, he saw.

"I… I know you said that you can't die, at least not permanently, but I still couldn't stand by to watch him kill you. I… I just couldn't stand it! You looked like you were in pain, and when I heard your arm crack, I just… lost control and killed him," she said before crying even harder.

"Aurumn, I-I-I killed him! I've never hurt anyone b-before, and then I go and k-kill someone!" she sobbed. Wolfe padded up to her and wrapped a paw around her, pulling her in towards him. She buried her face in his chest and cried. She cried for a long time, and when she finally started to stop, Wolfe put a paw under her chin and raised her face towards his.

"Lura, please stop crying. There's nothing to cry over. You were protecting someone you loved, right? That's not a bad thing love. Personally, I'm happy that you did. It means that I didn't spend a week in a void. Which means I get to spend more time with you. Don't cry over someone like him, Lura," he told her softly.

"I-I'm not," she said, to his surprise. "I-I'm c-crying because I almost watched you d-die. I-I love you Aurumn, I don't want to have to see you die."

Wolfe blinked slowly. Then he smiled softly. "You know, I don't think that I've ever heard you tell me that you loved me directly. It sounds a lot sweeter than I thought it would," he told her. Then he lowered his muzzle onto hers and kissed her. Instantly her sobs stopped. When he broke away, he grinned at her again. "For the record, I love you too," he said, before kissing her again.

As he kissed her, he thought to himself. _Lura, there's just something about you. Hell, I might actually be falling in love with you at this point._

 **[POV: Lura]**

They spent that night next to their own little fire, that Wolfe had used psychic to create. Lura thought that it was awfully handy to have that ability. She was slightly sad that she didn't have it, but only slightly. As they laid down with eachother, Lura remembered something that he had said before the fight.

"Aurumn," she started, not able to look at him due to the fact that he was holding her from behind. "Are… are we mates?"

He stroked her side gently. "Technically no, but we can consider each other as such if you'd like."

She frowned slightly. "Why aren't we technically?" she asked him.

He chuckled. "Because we haven't actually mated yet. But, that's only for the technical aspect of it."

She hesitated. Then she asked him, "Do you want to mate with me?"

"It doesn't matter to me, Lura. It's solely for whenever you feel ready to. I'm not one to want for that kind of contact. I will consider you as my spouse even if we never do."

She felt a glow of happiness in her. _He still considers me his mate, even though we haven't actually mated._ She snuggled her back into him, feeling content. Then she started to think about the fight again. _I killed that pokemon, and it was so easy. I feel like it should have been harder for me._ She shivered slightly. "Aurumn," she asked.

"Yes, love?"

She smiled. _Love,_ she thought. "Can you train me to fight better?"

He was quiet for a while. Then he said, "Lura, I'm not so sure that that would be a good idea."

She frowned. "Why not? I need to be able to defend myself. At the very least just to make me feel safer."

He was silent for another moment. "Is this something that you really want?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes. As I said, if we're to be mates, I want to do everything that you can."

He chuckled again. "If you really want to do everything that I can do, I need you to get fitter. If you want, we can start exercising daily to build up your body. Although, I do like your body as it is now. After you get to the appropriate level of fitness, yes. I will train you."

She smiled. "Thank you! I love you," she told him. She felt him kiss the back of her head, behind her ear-fin.

"I love you too," he whispered to her.

She rotated in his grip so she could face him, before kissing him. _Now this is something that I can do anytime,_ she thought. Then they broke apart, and she felt him pull her into his chest. She fell asleep like that, with a big smile on her face.

When she awoke the next day, Wolfe was still holding her, with his head resting against hers. She blinked sleepily, and debated on getting up, but decided that she would probably wake him as well. She didn't want to do that, so instead she just closed her eyes and enjoyed his embrace.

He woke about ten minutes later, making this known by the sleepy yawn that he let out. She smiled at him, before saying, "Good morning."

"'Morning," he said back. Then he gripped Lura tighter and rubbed his head against hers. "I refuse to get up yet. So, don't move." She giggled and hugged him back.

A few hours later, Wolfe asked Lura what she wanted to do while they waited for Gabe to come back. She thought for a moment. Then she shrugged.

"I don't know," she said.

He blinked at her. Then he shook his head. "I always hated when girls did that," he told her.

She blushed slightly. "I don't know though," she excused herself. He chuckled, still shaking his head.

"It's fine Lura. That was a joke," he told her.

She shook herself, blush fading. "Is there a river nearby?" she asked.

He chuckled again. "You're the vaporeon, you tell me."

 _Oh, right,_ she thought. She felt for the pull of water. She felt that same, soft pull towards the west, though it felt stronger than when she last felt it. She also felt a stronger pull, coming from the north. It felt like a lot of water.

"There's something just to the north of us. It feels like a lot of water, so I'd guess a lake," she reported.

He smiled. "Do you want to go there?" he asked.

She nodded excitedly. _Swimming!_ He laughed at her. "Alright, lead the way," he told her.

She grinned cheekily. "Are you being a gentleman or do you want to look at my ass again? You don't have to disguise it if you do, you know," she said.

He blinked once, then he grinned at her. "Is that an invitation to something more?" he asked.

She nodded with a smile. He laughed at her. "Maybe later, for now I'll just stick to watching," he told her.

She just smiled at him. _This actually makes me want to go further,_ she thought.

She led the way to their destination, and when she found it, she gasped.

"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed. She heard him hum in agreement.

The pull was a large lake, with mountains on any side of it. The sun was high in the sky, but it still seemed to reflect towards them, causing a brilliant image of the water. The mountains appeared to be green with all the trees growing on it. Lura found that she loved how it looked. It looked so beautiful, and peaceful.

Wolfe nudged her. "Shall we swim?" he asked.

She smiled at him and nodded.

They spent the next few hours enjoying each other's company in the water. Lura had the same amount of fun as when she and Wolfe first swam with each other at the hot springs after she found out about the Peterson's.

Lura found that she absolutely loved being around him, so much to the point that all she could think about was the both of them. She was glad that she had figured out her emotions about him. Definitely made her life a lot more enjoyable.

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

He didn't know what to think. He and Lura had been swimming for a while, and he was actually enjoying their time together. There was something about her that just made him feel at peace. He honestly didn't know whether or not he was in love with her. He definitely was happier when he was around her, he could admit that at the very least.

As he sat on the beach, watching her swim, he felt a strange feeling well up inside him. She was just so… loveable. He wished Gabe was nearer so that he could talk to him. He would definitely be able to tell him what he was feeling. The advantages of being a psychic type, he supposed.

He felt a slight stirring in his heart. One he hadn't felt for 90 years. He smiled slightly. _I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try and love her,_ he thought. Then he joined her in the water again.

Gabe appeared about three hours after they had found the lake, looking amused as he watched them play.

' _I see that everything turned out fine,'_ he sent Wolfe.

' _I suppose that you could say that,'_ he sent in reply

' _How's she dealing with killing someone?'_

' _She's doing better than I had expected. She actually asked if I could teach her how to fight.'_

' _What did you tell her?'_

' _At first, I was slightly hesitant. But she convinced me with her silver tongue.'_

' _I don't need to know about your sexual activities.'_

' _Get your mind out of the gutter. She just talked me into training her is all.'_

' _That's unfortunate.'_

' _You see it how you see it. I'm not going to complain one bit.'_

' _You love her yet?'_

' _You tell me. After all, you're the expert.'_

' _You're getting there. At the moment, she's more of a crush.'_

' _I suppose that's something.'_

' _Did you want to love her already?'_

' _It would certainly make things easier.'_

' _Don't worry about it. You'll get there.'_

' _We can hope.'_

After a few moments of discussion with the group, Gabe teleported back to the village, leaving Wolfe's complaints behind them.

* * *

 **Whew, another chapter done. Gonna apologize right now for any errors in the second half, it's challenging writing a story while you're drunk. Which, I was for the majority of the chapter. Took two hours to write something that would normally take 30 mins. As soon as I'm sober in the morning, I'll double check to make sure that any errors are taken care of. For now, I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Believe it or not, I do put a large amount of time into them. Like, 26 hours per chapter. But that's just me. I know some authors that put 40+ hours into each chapter. I, unfortunately, do not have the time for that. That being said, going to say thank you for all of the views! At the start of the chapter I had under 300 views. Now I'm over 400! Still astonishing that that many people actually read my story. So thank you! Now then, I'm going to upload this chapter before drunk me forgets. See you all next chapter!**

 **Hangovers suck.**

 **-Aurumn**


	8. Chapter 7: Jealous Jolteon

**A/N: Hey all, Aurumn again. So, 500 views. That's like, almost a million or something. Wow. Just wow. I honestly didn't think I would be anywhere near that point so soon. Guess I'm doing something right! Or people miss-click a lot. Either way, a view is a view. Going to say thank you to all of you again! I really do appreciate it. It seems that I have around 30 consistent visitors, so shout out to you guys. Story wise: I need to kill some time in story. Like, 4 years. I had some stuff planned for this time period, but I totally forgot. That's what happens when you think up a story 6 months before you write it. Any case, I've decided that if people want me to add their character to my story, I will. Just PM me some basic info about them: Name, Species, Appearance, Background and what Role you want them to play in my story. Also, if anyone wants me to include a certain event in my story, I'll try to make that happen. NO MASS SLAUGHTER OF WOLFE'S PEOPLES! Drawing a line there. That being said, after this chapter I will be breaking 50,000 words. Woot! Because of this, I left a surprise at around the 50,000 word mark. ;) This is probably going to be a 300,000 word story, just fyi. That said, on with the story! I hope you all enjoy, and again, thank you!**

* * *

 **[POV: Lura 910 BBF]**

 _ **{Do you love her?}**_

 _ **[I don't know.]**_

The next month was uneventful for the most part. Mostly because Wolfe had a broken arm and couldn't do a whole lot as a human. Despite that, he still managed to help out in some form, either with advice or by using psychic.

One interesting thing that did happen was that the townsfolk decided to name their new village: Haven. Simple name, but then again, it's only a name. It fit their situation perfectly. Some people wanted to name it after Wolfe or Stephen, as they founded it really, but both flat out refused. No one want's their name to become a town.

Progress on the village was moving much faster than expected. It helps when everyone is contributing. Some people wanted to have a new Lord for their village, as it was much larger than any regular village. It was more of a city. The Lord idea got thrown away, as Gabe pointed out that they had a council of sorts, why get a Lord as well?

Wolfe had started to train Lura, getting her to be in better shape. He had her swim quickly, climb trees, run for extended distances, and push around heavy boulders and logs. At first, Lura thought it was impossible for her to do anything like this, but she slowly noticed that she was getting stronger and more agile. It helped that she never did anything by herself, Wolfe always did the workouts as well.

Lura felt her becoming even more in love with Wolfe, if that was even possible. He was always so kind and patient with her, never raising his voice and kissing her frequently. She loved his kisses. However, she felt like she wasn't contributing enough to their relationship.

One day, Lura decided to ask Gabe what she could do to improve her relationship with Wolfe.

"Lura, I'm going to tell you right now that you're doing fine. I honestly don't think that there's much that you can do to improve things, if his emotions are anything to go by. It's hard to gain his affection, Lura, but once you do, you'll never lose it," he told her.

She shook her head. "But Gabe, there must be something! I don't feel like I'm doing a whole lot in our relationship, it's all him! I feel like I'm trailing behind, and if I don't do _something,_ then he'll want our relationship to be over. I don't want that," she said.

He _laughed_ at her. "Lura, as I said, it's impossible to lose his affection once you have it. And you, Lura, have it."

"But…" she sighed. "Gabe, I'm worried."

"Don't be. You're doing fine," he told her. Then he grinned. "If you really want your relationship to go further, then as him to mate you. Easy fix right there."

She blushed deeply, staring at him in shock. He chuckled at her.

"You asked for my advice, I gave it to you," he said.

"But I don't even know how to do that! I only know the basics of what it entails, that's it!"

He shook his head. "He can teach you. One thing though," he said as he winked at her. "He likes biting."

Lura blushed, before running away. She wasn't exactly focusing on what she was doing, so she ended up running straight into a furry yellow jolteon.

"Oops! Sorry!" she squeaked.

Tal shook his head, before focusing on her. "No worries! I was actually looking for you," he told her.

She blinked curiously, blush fading. "Why?" she asked.

"I wanted to know if you were available to do something."

She frowned. "Like what?"

He shrugged. "Anything, really. Walk and talk, explore the forest, go to the hot springs, or anything else."

She brightened. "Sure! Let's just walk and talk for a bit, then go from there."

He grinned. "Sure thing! So how have you been?" he asked, as they started walking in a random direction.

"I've been good, Wolfe's been getting me fit," she told him.

He frowned. "It shouldn't matter if you're fit or not. It's what's on the inside that matters. I think Wolfe should realize that."

"No, no. It's not for any personal preference of his. I asked him to train me how to fight, and he said that I need to be stronger before I can fight as well."

"Oh! Well that's different then. I thought that he was being shallow."

"Nope!"

He laughed a little sheepishly. "Sorry!"

She smiled at him. "It's no problem, you were just looking out for me," she told him.

He smiled back at her. "So, how's your relationship going?" he asked.

"Great! Better than great, really. It's my first one and hopefully last one, and he's so easy to do things with! I'm glad that he loves me, and I couldn't love him more," she said.

A shadow seemed to flit across his face. "Are… are you sure that you want this to be the last one?" he asked. She frowned.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I want it too?"

He focused on his paws. "Maybe to give someone else a chance," he answered.

 _Oh… I forgot that he has feelings for me,_ she thought. "I'm sorry Tal, but I'm seriously happy right now. And he is too. I know that you think you have feelings for me, but really. You'll find someone," she told him.

He shook his head and looked at her, looking frustrated. "I don't think I have feelings for you, I know it! I love you Lura! I know that if you would just give me the chance, we'd both be so happy! Probably happier than you and Wolfe right now!"

She froze, stopping in her tracks. He stopped as well, still staring at her. _Oh my. He loves me too?_

She shook herself. "Tal, I'm sorry that I never realized that you loved me, but I don't think you're thinking clearly right now. I'm not going to end things with him, not for an unknown. I don't see why you can't just be happy for me."

He was starting to look desperate. "Then don't end things with him! We can be a couple without him knowing! It's not like we'd be hurting him, this would just be between us!"

She stared at him, shocked. "Tal, I'm not going to do that! I have a mate! I'm faithful to him! He's been nothing but kind and loving to me, and while it wouldn't physically hurt him, it would emotionally! Think about what you're saying!"

"You're mates? You've already mated with him?!" he looked angry again.

She sighed. "No, Tal, we haven't mated. We just consider eachother to be mates. He told me he doesn't care what people consider to be a norm, in his eyes we're mates. He doesn't need that kind of contact."

He calmed down slightly. "If you haven't mated each other, then you can't be mates. Merely love interests," he reasoned.

She sighed again. "Tal, you didn't listen to what I just said, did you? We consider each other to be mates. We don't need to actually do the act to be mates."

He moved his head so it was closer to hers, making her feel slightly uncomfortable. "Lura, please! I've told you that I love you! How can I prove that to you?" he begged her.

She shook her head. "Tal, I don't care if you love me or not. I'm not going to do that to him. I think that you need to…" she was cut off as he suddenly placed his muzzle over hers.

She stared at him in shock as he kissed her. Her mouth softened in her surprise, though she didn't kiss him back. Then licked her mouth, asking for entry. She didn't let him, and immediately broke away.

"Tal!" she shouted, suddenly very angry. "What the hell are you doing! I told you no, and I will keep telling you no for all time! I love Aurumn! I don't love you! I've tried to be nice about it, but obviously being nice doesn't get the point across! I'm not going to do anything like that with you! Why are you so selfish? Try and think about someone else for once! And please, for Arceus' sake, get over it!" With that, she turned and ran, leaving a stunned Tal behind her.

She didn't know where she was running, she was just following a strange pull in her heart. After ten minutes of running and venting in her head, she came across a small group of people who she didn't recognize, as well as one she recognized easily. Wolfe.

He was in human form, arm in a splint, and he was leaning over a table that had some papers on it. That's when Lura recognized Stephen and Eric. As soon as she entered the clearing, Wolfe turned to face her with a slight smile, though it fell as he saw her expression.

"You guys carry on. I want there to be at least a twenty-foot gap between the houses and the wall though," he told them, before walking towards her. As he approached, he closed his eyes and concentrated, before turning into an umbreon.

"What's wrong?" he asked her as she buried her face into his chest. She felt him sit back and wrap his foreleg around her.

"Tal," she said shortly.

"What happened?"

She growled slightly. "Can we go for a walk as we talk? If you have time?" she asked him.

"Of course! I always have time for you. I hope you realize that."

She smiled slightly, though she still felt angry. "Thank you."

They walked side by side as they headed into the forest. Lura breathed deeply, inhaling both Wolfe's scent and the smell of the forest itself. The scent of leaves, dirt, and water. She felt herself relax a little.

"So tell me what happened," Wolfe told her after they had walked for a while.

"I was talking to Gabe, asking him a few questions, when I ran away because I got embarrassed. I ran into Tal, and he told me that he was looking for me and wanted to talk to me. We went for a walk, when we got on the topic of yours and mine relationship. Then he told me that he loved me, and that he wanted me to be with him. I told him no, I loved you, and I wasn't going to end things. Then he told me not to end things, that we could just keep it a secret. Again, I told him no. I wasn't interested in going behind your back. I was about to tell him that he needs to find something to take his mind off me, when the stupid 'mon kissed me! Then I yelled at him and ran off," she vented.

Wolfe blinked at her. "Wait, he kissed you?" he asked.

Lura felt something drop inside of her. "Please don't be mad at me! I didn't want him to, and I broke it off very quickly, but I'm sorry!" she panicked.

He brushed his side against hers in a calming fashion. "Lura, calm down. I'm not mad at you. It's not like you kissed him, right? He kissed you. Why would I be mad about that?" he told her.

She shook her head slightly. "I don't know… I just thought that that was something you could get mad about."

He smiled at her gently, and Lura felt herself calm down. It was amazing what he could do for her with so simple of actions. "Lura, you don't need to worry about me being upset with you. It'll never happen," he said.

She nodded with a smile, and leaned into him as they walked. Then he continued speaking.

"I am upset with Tal, however. You told him no and he still kissed you. Knowing how you felt. I'm going to have a few choice words with him," he stated.

"Don't hurt him is all," she replied.

He chuckled. "Lura, I won't even touch him so long as he doesn't touch me."

She smiled, and started to enjoy their walk. It was peaceful, and she was with great company. She wasn't going to complain one bit.

"So what were you and Gabe talking about?" Wolfe suddenly asked.

She immediately blushed.

He laughed before kissing her cheek. "Oh, you naughty little vappy you."

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

After his walk with Lura, Wolfe immediately set out to find Tal, feeling immensely irritated. _That's not something you do,_ he thought. _I don't care how frustrated you are, or how much you 'love' someone. If they tell you no, it means no._

' _Hey Gabe,'_ he sent.

' _Yeah?'_ came the reply.

' _Where's Tal?'_

' _At his shack with Rio. Why?'_

' _He kissed Lura after she told him she wasn't interested.'_

' _Oh boy, try not to kill him, alright?'_

' _Don't worry. I'm just going to talk at him.'_

' _You mean talk with him.'_

' _No, talk at. As in I'm talking, and he's listening.'_

' _You're a riot, demon.'_

' _I know.'_

Wolfe changed directions and headed towards Tal's and Rio's shack. Houses weren't completely built yet, so they still slept in their temporary shelters. They were all pretty close together, but still far enough apart to allow some privacy.

When he reached their shack, he knocked against it with a paw. A moment later Rio opened the door and stared at him.

"Can I speak with Tal?" Wolfe asked.

"Depends. Are you here to hurt him or just talk to him?" came Rio's reply.

"Talk. He did something stupid and needs someone to tell him so."

The lucario shrugged. "Sure then. I take it this is about Lura?"

"Has he said anything?"

"He's only been moaning about how she's with the wrong guy and that she needs to break things off between you two for the past month or so."

Wolfe chuckled. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me."

Rio shrugged again. Then he turned over his shoulder and called out, "Tal! You have a visitor!"

A moment later Tal came walking out the door, looking hopeful. That looked changed to disappointment once he saw that it was Wolfe.

"Tal, we're going for a little walk. It's not an option," Wolfe told him.

The jolteon looked nervous for a second, but he nodded anyway.

They headed out through the forest, heading towards the lake. Wolfe didn't say anything, he just waited. He knew that the anticipation of what he was going to say was a whole lot worse than the actual act of him talking.

Finally, after they had walked for around 15 minutes, he started to speak. "I'm pretty sure you know why I wanted to talk with you," he said.

The jolteon nodded, still looking nervous.

Wolfe continued, "You can relax, I'm not going to hurt you. I was serious when I said talk."

The jolteon let out a sigh of relief. "Well, say what you have to say then," he told him.

Wolfe glared at him. "You're a dumbass, Tal. If a lady tells you no, she means no. She doesn't mean maybe, and she doesn't mean yes. No means no. She told you that she wasn't interested in a relationship with you but you still pressed it. Even going so far as to tell her to have a secret relationship with you behind my back, which wouldn't have worked by the way. I can read people like they're open books, doesn't matter who. For instance, when Rio first called out to you to let you know I wanted to talk, your first thought was that Lura changed her mind. You thought that your kiss was so great that she just decided that life would be better with you."

As he spoke, he noticed that the jolteon had a surprised look on his face. _Got it in one,_ he thought.

"Tal, I know that you're normally a good guy, but you seriously fucked up today. You don't kiss a girl without permission. Even more so when said girl is in a relationship. So stop being a dumbfuck and grow a pair. She didn't choose you. Get over it. If she didn't show any interest in a relationship with you during the three years that I was gone, what makes you think that she would have an interest now, when she's in another relationship. She wanted to be friends with you, Tal. But you just threw that out the window. I guarantee that she won't trust you at all after the stunt you pulled today."

The jolteon blinked for a moment. Then he turned his face towards the ground. "I… I fucked up pretty bad today, didn't I?" he asked softly.

Wolfe nodded. "You did. But it's not something you can't recover from."

The jolteon looked at him hopefully. "What should I do to make things better?" he asked eagerly.

"If you want my advice, go apologize to her. Not today, as she needs a bit of time to cool off, but tomorrow would be a good time."

Tal nodded. "Is there… anything else I can do? Either for you or for her? I… I know that I've been pretty bad lately. When I kissed her and she yelled at me, I realized that I had made a big mistake. I was going to chase after her to apologize, but I feared that she would get the wrong idea…" his voice trailed off. Then he shook himself and continued. "I don't want to stop being friends with her, Zero. I don't. It's just… look, I think I should tell you something."

Wolfe gestured for him to continue. He swallowed, and a slight blush tinged his cheeks. "I… I never really got over you and me. I know that you said it was a one-time thing but… I'm not good with one-time things. I get too attached, way too quickly. Like with Lura, I guess. I had hoped that she would be able to distract me from, well, from you. And she did. She does. But… I can't stand the thought that the two people that I've… loved… both ended up choosing someone else over me. It… it's slightly worse when the people that they chose are eachother. Two people that I've loved fell for eachother. How's that for a bad romance?" he finished softly. He laughed shortly. "Makes me feel like some kind of useless add-on."

 _Oh boy, here we go. Another person that is apparently in love with me. How the hell do I do these things,_ Wolfe wondered?

' _Great, Tal's still in love with you?'_ Gabe sent him.

' _Why the hell are you in my head? And yeah, yeah he is. And Lura. I bet that's a real kick in the teeth for him,'_ Wolfe replied.

' _Your head is a lot more entertaining than my own. Also, I knew that you were going to talk to Tal, and I wanted to make sure that you didn't kill him.'_

' _Whatever. You might as well stay and give me your input when the conversation is over.'_

' _Wilco.'_

 _Wilco indeed,_ Wolfe thought to himself, making sure to block that thought from the snooping Gabe. He returned his attention to Tal.

"Tal, excuse me for being blunt, but I'm not to terribly concerned in why you've been acting like an ass to me and to Lura. You have a funny way of showing your affection. If you can't have one, then they certainly can't have eachother, is that right?" he asked the jolteon.

Tal blushed furiously. "No, that's not exactly what I meant," he replied.

Wolfe shook his head and sighed. "Tal, you really need to learn how to explain yourself better. At the moment, you sound like a brat. You didn't get what you wanted so now no-one can."

The jolteon stared at him, looking hurt. Wolfe thought he saw tears well up in his eyes. He sighed again, before he stopped walking. Tal stopped as well, sitting a little ways away from him.

"Tal, I know that's not you. I was just saying that's what you sound like. I know you, and I know that you aren't a brat. But your logic is flawed. Now, I'm willing to forgive and forget, and Lura might as well. But that's up to her," he said. He placed a paw on Tal's forehead trying to be both stern and calming at the same time. It worked, as he saw the hurt fade from the jolteon's eyes.

Tal breathed in deeply, closing his eyes in the process. Then he released and opened his eyes again. He stared at Wolfe, and smiled slightly. "Thanks, Zero. I know that that's more than I deserve. I'll… I'll apologize to Lura tomorrow," he said.

Wolfe shook his head before chuckling in amusement. "It's not often that I get thanked for being upset with someone. But you're welcome, and see that you do."

Tal nodded, and Wolfe removed his paw. Then he looked up towards the sky to see where the sun was at. "It's getting late, we should turn in for the night," he told Tal. Tal nodded.

When Wolfe got back to his and Lura's shack, he noticed that Lura was already there. He sensed that she was in a much greater mood than earlier.

He padded through their door, before jumping onto their bed where Lura was waiting. She looked at him expectantly.

"So how'd it go?" she asked.

Wolfe kissed her softly before answering. "It went fine, I talked some sense into him. I also found out why he has been acting the way he has," he told her, before kissing her again.

She pushed him away with a paw and half-heartedly glared at him. "If you keep kissing me, I'm going to not be able to concentrate," she scolded. He grinned and brushed aside her paw and pushed her onto her back so that he was standing over top of her again. Then he kissed her again, this time longer.

As he kissed her, he felt that same fire that he had felt when they had first become a couple. He felt that same urge to just… take her. From their bond he knew that she was more than ready for them to take that next step, but he still held back. At least for the moment.

He broke their kiss and grinned cheekily at her. "Can you still focus?" he asked.

She had a slightly dazed look in her eyes, but she blinked them and shook her head as they cleared. She glared at him. "Yes! Stop it, and tell me what happened!" she exclaimed. Then she grinned at him. "Then we can take things further," she whispered.

He kept grinning at her. "Oh, I see how it is. Is that a bribe? Or a reward?" he asked.

She winked at him, and he felt his heart skip a beat. _What the…,_ he thought. "It's both," she answered him.

He kissed her once more before continuing. "I suppose that I should tell you that, a while ago, before I met you, Tal and I had a one night stand. A one night stand is where two people mate, but it's only for the mating. No emotion supposed to be involved. Unfortunately, Tal develops emotions quickly. Apparently he fell in love with me, though I thought that he was upset because it even happened in the first place. We were both drunk. Any case, because of that, I avoided him for a long time. He took it as I wasn't interested in him. Oops. Then he meets you, and suddenly he sees a chance to forget me, that chance being you. So he falls in love with you as well. Then you and I become a thing, and he's left completely out in the cold. He apologized to me already for his actions, and will probably apologize to you tomorrow. Don't be too hard on him though," he told her.

She stared up at him in shock. Then she shook herself. "Don't worry, I won't be that hard on him. But… you two mated? How does that work?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow at her. Then he smiled slightly. "Lura, you realize that you have more than one hole down there, right?"

She blinked. Then she blushed. "Uh, I feel like that would hurt. A lot."

He just shrugged. "I wouldn't know, I never receive. He enjoyed it though."

She blushed brightly. "So are you… gay?" she asked.

He sweat dropped at her. "Lura, if I'm in a serious relationship with you, how can I possibly be gay? And how do you not know how two males would mate, but you know what being gay is?"

She blinked, still blushing hard. "Oh. Right. And I've heard people talk about it in Forn, I just never really thought about it till now. So, you like both genders?"

He laughed and kissed her. "Yes, Lura. The term is bi. Now, any other important questions?"

She nodded, though she was still blushing. "Would… would we be able to mate that way? Like you and Tal?"

He looked at her, surprised. Then he grinned widely. "You really are a naughty little vappy, aren't you? If you wanted to try it then yes, we could. Need to get some olive oil though."

She looked confused. "Uhh… olive oil?"

He shook his head. "It'll make things nicer for you. Trust me."

She shrugged. Then she asked him, "What should we do about Tal? I feel bad knowing that his two loves didn't end up with him."

Wolfe frowned slightly. "I don't know, Lura. I feel bad for him as well, but there's not much that we can do. Unless you want to add a third member to our little duo. Which, I actually don't have a problem with."

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I… to be honest, I'm not sure. It might seem bad for me to say this, but… I don't feel like that towards him. Well, I suppose I never really thought about it. I was always focused on you, even if I didn't realize it."

He felt his heart skip another beat. _Damn… Lura, I think I love you too._

He smiled down at her. "Lura, if you don't feel something, you don't feel something. You can't help that. It doesn't make you bad."

She smiled at him gratefully. "Last question. What happens if I get pregnant?"

Wolfe mentally slapped himself. He blinked down at her. "Uhhh… to be honest, I don't know if I can reproduce. I mean, I am technically dead. If you do end up with an egg, then I guess we'll have a little eevee kit running around."

"You won't leave me?" she asked.

"Of course not! Why would I? Lura, I'm pretty sure that I've told you before, but I love you! That's not something that I say lightly either. I mean, just ask Gabe. No, if we have a kit together, I will love both you and it together."

Lura smiled softly, and she seemed to be relieved. He felt through their contact that this was something that had been bothering her for a long time. She leaned her head up to kiss him, and as they kissed, Wolfe had another conversation going on with Gabe.

" _Gabe, did you hear either of my conversations?'_ he sent.

' _Yes, I did. Both of them, actually. You're very sweet, demon. Do you need me to bring you olive oil?'_ came the reply.

' _Yes, yes I do. But after we finish our conversation.'_

' _Alright. You'll owe me. Again.'_

' _I always do, don't I? Anyway, what are your thoughts.'_

' _That you'll make a wonderful daddy demon to a little baby demon.'_

' _You're an asshole. Seriously though. Tal.'_

' _I don't see any immediate solution to him. You handled that conversation beautifully, but it'll still be a problem. Why do you have to be so damn loveable?'_

' _What can I say, I'm cursed. Part of my demon charm I guess. People love the bad guy.'_

' _I wouldn't say that you're bad, I would just say that you don't have many morals.'_

' _Is there a difference?'_

' _No, not really. Good point. Any case, the only thing solution I can see for Tal is to find him someone special.'_

' _What about Pink?'_

' _Doesn't she have a mate already?'_

' _He's more of a love interest than a mate. He's more free than I am, really. Hell, he'd be a good candidate as well.'_

' _I think you might want someone a little more innocent than Ellis.'_

' _Good point. Alright, so those two are out. Any other ideas?'_

' _Not for the moment. You should ask Lura if you two could take him under your wings for a little bit. Not saying do anything unusual, just be around him more. Try and make him feel less left out.'_

' _Alright, I'll talk to her about it. Man, it's been a really long day for me.'_

' _Something tells me that it'll be an even longer night.'_

' _No clue what you mean, I've been working hard for the past three months. This is my night to enjoy myself. And show Lura a thing or two.'_

' _Whatever helps you deal with yourself, demon. You want the oil? Otherwise you're going without.'_

' _And you say I'm the demon. Yeah, I'd like the oil.'_

' _You got it.'_

Wolfe finally broke his and Lura's kiss, mostly because he was finding it impossible to hold his breath for much longer. She seemed to be in a similar state.

"Lura, don't panic but we're going to have a visitor for a moment," he told her.

She frowned. "Who?' she asked.

Then Gabe appeared next to the bed, holding a bowl. He set it on the ground before disappearing again. Lura stared at where Gabe had been in shock. Then she returned her attention to Wolfe.

"Was that the visitor?' she asked?

"Yes, yes it was. He's very rude, he didn't even say hi," he replied with a chuckle.

' _Hi,'_ he heard Gabe tell him, and from Lura's startled face he guessed that the gallade had sent it to her as well. Wolfe laughed.

Then he looked down at Lura and felt that familiar fire build up in him. He kissed her again, as passionately as he could. He felt her body completely relax under his, and when he licked her mouth to ask to enter it, she opened it gladly. He explored every part of her that he could, loving her taste. He heard and felt her moan softly, and knew that there was no way they weren't going further. When he broke their kiss, he stared down at her with want clear in his eyes. She had the same expression as she stared up at him.

"I'm ready," she said seductively.

 **VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

 **LEMON AHEAD!**

 **[3** **rd** **Person POV]**

"Lura, I'm just going to warn you now that, because this is your first time, it will hurt you at first. But don't worry, you'll start to enjoy it soon enough," Wolfe told Lura.

Lura nodded, though she had a bit of worry in her eyes. "Alright, just… be gentle, ok?" she asked him. Wolfe smiled at her lovingly.

"Of course. I'm going to start slow, and you tell me when you want me to go harder, alright?"

Lura nodded again. She was incredibly nervous, this would be her first time after all. But she wanted this. Wolfe kissed her again, and she immediately opened her mouth, wanting to kiss him like she had before. As he entered her mouth, she tentatively entered his as well. She felt him lower his body against hers, and start to grind against her slit slowly.

She moaned, already receiving more contact there than she had ever before. That was when she felt something new press up against her lower belly. Something that felt incredibly warm, as well as large. She mentally gasped. _It's so big,_ she panicked! _Will it even fit?_ She felt him slide his body down a little bit as he broke off their kiss.

Wolfe let out a soft moan as he felt his member drag across her cunt. Just by that quick rub alone, he could tell that she was going to be tight. He repositioned his body so that his tip was pressed against her slit, though he didn't enter her yet.

"Are you ready?" he asked her.

She nodded. Wolfe slowly squeezed the tip of his cock into her soft folds. Both Lura and Wolfe let out soft moans. Lura had never felt anything enter her before, and she had to say that it felt amazing. With Wolfe, so far Lura was the tightest pussy he had ever had the pleasure to fuck.

After a short amount of time, Wolfe felt his dick press up against something. He had reached her hymen.

"Lura," he said softly. "This is where it'll start to hurt you for a little bit. I want you to bite my shoulder. I don't care how hard, but it'll take your mind off the pain."

"Alright," she breathed. He felt her teeth sink gently into his shoulder, just barely reaching his skin.

"I'll make it quick," he told her. With that, he pulled back slightly, and then thrust into her as deep as he could.

Lura let out a squeak of pain as she bit down on Wolfe's shoulder. Hard. As she waited for the waves of pain to subside. As soon as the pain began to fade, she became aware of Wolfe silently licking the top of her head, trying to comfort her. Then he began to smoothly thrust in and out of her, quickly replacing the pain with an amazing pleasure. She released her mouth's grip on his shoulder and moaned loudly.

"Well, you can't say that you're a virgin anymore, love," Wolfe told her, pausing his motions.

She smiled softly and kissed him. "I'm glad it was you that took it," she told him.

He smiled at her, before he kissed her again. Then he started thrusting into her again, quickly getting a moan from her. He let out a slight moan as well, though nowhere near as loudly. _She's so tight,_ he thought. He found himself picking up his pace a little bit. She felt amazing to him, and he found that she was remarkably easy to fuck, despite her being so tight. He didn't have any problem sliding in and out of her, which he decided was because she was a water type.

Lura felt his pace pick up a little, and decided that she would try and help to. She started thrusting up into him as he came down, causing him to go much deeper into her. She let out another loud moan, this one louder than the rest. Then she called out to him.

"Harder, Aurumn! Harder! Please, go faster and harder. I'm all yours, go as rough as you want!"

He growled slightly. "With pleasure. I'd recommend that you bite me again, otherwise you'll wake up the whole town."

She complied, biting his shoulder. As soon as Wolfe felt her teeth, he instantly lost it, and slammed himself into her, all the way to his hilt. She screamed his name into his shoulder as she bit it, luckily muffling her scream. Wolfe thrust into her as hard and fast as he could, moaning loudly at the amount of pleasure he was receiving.

"Gods, Lura, you're so tight," he told her. He felt her clench down on him, and he knew she was reaching her first orgasm.

Lura felt the pleasure build up in her body, until she couldn't take anymore and released it onto Wolfe. She let go of his shoulder and screamed his name as she came, hard. Wolfe felt her contract on his member as she orgasmed, and if he wasn't so good at controlling himself, he probably would have came right there.

The whole time while she had her first orgasm, Wolfe never stopped or slowed down, letting her ride it out. Once she stopped, he slowed as well, until he came to a halt, hilted inside her.

"Ready for round two?" he asked.

Lura breathlessly nodded, though she raised a paw so that she could speak first. "Can… can we try something new?" she asked.

He nodded. "Of course! Did you want to try a new position?"

She smiled and nodded. "I want to be mounted, and I don't want it to be in my previous hole," she told him. Wolfe grinned at her.

"Yeap, you're indeed a naughty vappy. Sure thing, love," he said as he pulled out of her.

Then he went over to the bowl that Gabe had place down earlier. As he did so, he spoke to Lura.

"Get on your feet and look forward, then lower the front half of your body to the ground. Then raise your tail, and let me get a better look at that sexy ass of yours," he told her. Lura nodded, getting into the position she had described.

"You know, I don't know if I really needed the oil, you're so wet that that would be its own lubricant," he told her. Lura couldn't see him, but she felt the mattress depress where he walked on it as he approached her. She felt him come to a stop right behind her, and let out a little squeak when she felt him touch her anus. He was rubbing something slippery on it with his paw, and as he did so she felt him place a kiss just to the left of her tail. She let out a little moan again.

Wolfe then stood on his hind legs, and wrapped his paws around her waist. Lura felt his tip press against her tailhole for a moment, before he slowly pressed himself into her. Lura was amazed at how easily he entered her ass at first, and all she felt was pleasure, though it was a bit different. Wolfe was on another plane of existence, floating in pure pleasure. She was so tight, tighter than anyone who he'd ever had this experience with before. Yet, she wasn't so tight that he couldn't do anything.

Once he had entered her anus to about half of his full length, Lura started to get impatient. She wanted the whole thing in, now. So she braced herself, before slamming her ass back against his crotch, causing him to enter all the way to the hilt. Lura let out a moan of pain and pleasure, but mostly pleasure as she was filled in a way she had never thought possible. Wolfe let out a loud moan of pleasure as well. She was definitely the best lay he'd ever had.

After giving himself a bit of time to adjust, he pulled out slowly with Lura leaning forward again. When just his tip remained inside of her, he pushed himself into her again, as she shoved her ass against his crotch again.

"Aurumn~" she moaned. "Please, go faster!~"

"Sure thing love," he gasped out. With that said, he pulled himself all the way out, before slamming himself all the way into her again, causing her to moan even louder. Then he pulled out till just his tip remained in again, before repeating the process at an incredible pace, slamming himself into Lura's ass as hard and fast as he could.

Lura found herself unable to focus or even form coherent thoughts as her love fucked her ass as hard as he could, with her thrusting herself forwards and back to his rapid pace. Her mouth hung open slightly as she moaned in pleasure.

Then Wolfe pushed against her shoulders, causing Lura's front legs to give out, so that she was laying with her face flat against the bed. This new position for Wolfe allowed him to thrust into her even faster. His knot started to grow, and Wolfe felt his climax building. He knew he wouldn't last long.

He bent forward so that Lura could hear him over the sound of her ass being fucked raw, and asked her, "Kits or no?"

Lura was slightly confused about what he was asking, but then again, she didn't really care. So she said the first thing that came to her mind. "Kits," she gasped out. She turned her head slightly so that she could look at him, and as she did so he pressed his lips against hers, before he suddenly pulled out of her tailhole, and plunged his member into her slit, not missing a beat as he kept pumping. Lura felt his knot slam against her, and suddenly knew what was going to happen.

With one final thrust, Wolfe pushed himself into Lura as hard as he could, barely managing to squeeze his knot into her. Lura felt his cock convulse inside of her, before she felt something warm enter her, deep inside. Lura broke of their kiss and screamed his name as she orgasmed again. Wolfe's dick pumped one final load into her, before he was spent.

Lura collapsed, her back legs no longer able to support her, and felt Wolfe lay down behind her, not able to pull out as he had tied them together. They were both breathing hard.

"Well love, how was your first?" Wolfe asked her.

Lura rotated with him still inside, and faced him. Then she kissed him, before answering. "Amazing. Better than I had ever imagined," she told him.

He chuckled. "I'm glad that I didn't disappoint."

She smiled tiredly. "Never," she said.

Wolfe pulled her closer to him, before kissing the top of her head. "Let's get some sleep love," he told her.

She agreed with a yawn, before cuddling into him. "Goodnight, Aurumn," she said softly.

"Goodnight, love," he replied.

 _I've realized that I do love you, Lura. I always will._

 **LEMON END**

 **VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

* * *

 **Holy shit, I've been writing this all night long. It's currently 7:08 am my time, and I can see the sun coming up. I didn't work an overnight even! I literally just stayed up and typed. Anycase, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! This was my first attempt at writing a lemon, so let me know how I did. Hopefully you all liked the surprise, though I know some won't read it. Not my choice, as I said, no plot happened. Actually, I lied. You all should read the last sentence of the lemon scene. It's in italics, you can't miss it, and it's nothing naughty. Like Lura, the Naughty Vappy. Anycase, this chapter puts me over 50,000 words, as I stated earlier. Let me know what you all think of my story, and I'll see you all next chapter!**

 **-Aurumn**


	9. Chapter 8: Enter Cordina

**A/N: Hey all, it's Aurumn again. Do you guys want to know what's also fun? American football. What's not fun? Playing American football in pure slush. I've been soaked all day. And I work at 11pm. Fun. Anycase, first lemon was last chapter, and I don't think I did to horribly. Definitely not the best, I know. But still. No one has told me that they hated it, so it can't be too bad. Don't know how often I will include those, probably every couple of chapters or so. Also, chapter 8! 4 and 8 are my two favorite numbers, mostly because they're all my phone number consists of. Now watch me get a random phone call. Whatever, I get random calls anyway. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **[POV: Lura 910 BBF]**

 _ **{Are you sure you're ready for one?}**_

 _ **[No. You never really are, are you?]**_

When Lura awoke the next morning, she felt a slight glimmer of happiness. _We're officially mates now,_ she thought. She blinked open her eyes, and found herself staring at Wolfe's chest fur. She smiled softly, as she rotated her head to look up at his sleeping face. She was so happy that he had chosen her out of all others.

Then she winced as she felt her lower body flare up with pain. _Owwwww…,_ she thought. She let out a slight squeak, but soon the pain faded again. _Worth it._ Unfortunately, she felt Wolfe start to wake up. She probably woke him with her noise and movement.

"Good morning, love," he said tiredly. "How're you feeling?"

She licked his chest once, before replying with, "Good morning, Aurumn. And I'm in a little bit of pain, though it isn't that bad. Is that normal?"

He chuckled. "Yes, Lura, it's completely normal. I'll be surprised if you can even walk this morning."

She frowned, then stood up. At first, she felt fine. Then she started walking around the bed. Immediately she felt her back legs give out, causing her to fall on her side. She blushed in embarrassment. "Oh," she squeaked out.

Wolfe laugh at her. Then he padded up to her and kissed her cheek. "Don't worry, Lura. You'll be fine in a few hours. Meanwhile you can just relax in here with me," he told her.

She nuzzled him gently with a smile on her face. "I'm not going to complain," she replied.

They spent the morning in each other's embrace. They mad small talk, talking about anything and everything. Eventually, Wolfe brought up Tal again.

"I think that you and I should spend more time with Tal," he said to her.

Lura nodded understandingly. "I know. I feel bad for him, despite what he did yesterday."

"I understand. But, a moment of stupidity shouldn't ruin a three-year long friendship. He should apologize to you today."

Lura smiled. "I'm glad that we can talk about things like this. When he apologizes, I'll ask him to do something with us. Should we check out Cook's Pub? It's been finished for a week now, but I've never actually stopped in."

Wolfe kissed her softly. "We're mates, Lura. We can talk about anything that you want. And sure, I could go for some food that I don't have to make myself."

Lura grinned at him. Then her face fell into a frown of confusion. "But you don't make your own food anyway. It's been delivered from the ration tent."

Wolfe glared at her. "Hey now, I can pretend, can't hi?"

She giggled before kissing him again. "Of course, I'm sorry dear. My mistake."

Wolfe sighed softly, and shook his head. "No-one understands me," he said with a fake frown.

Lura laughed at his antics. It was nice that he was such a friendly 'mon, at least towards Lura and his other friends. But Lura knew that he wouldn't hesitate to kill someone. It was slightly off putting, but she didn't really mind.

When Lura could finally walk, though admittedly with some difficulty, they both headed out to try and get some training done. Wolfe had decided that she was fit enough to start actual combat training. They reached the clearing that he had found for that very reason, and he turned to speak to her.

"Alright love, there is one thing that you need to be a skilled fighter. And that's attention to detail. If you're observant enough, you should be able to spot a flaw or a weakness in an opponent. So that's what we'll work on today. Also, it'll give your body a chance to recover from last night as well," he told her with a wink. Lura giggled, covering her mouth with a paw.

Then he continued speaking, saying, "What I want you to do is sit right there, and pay attention. Observe your surroundings. Remember them well. I'll give you a few moments, and then we'll continue."

Lura nodded, and stared around her, taking in her surroundings. She was sitting in the middle of a clearing, that was about 50 feet long and about the same wide. Trees surrounded them, leaves a bright green, with rough looking bark. She noticed a bird nest up in one of the branches of a tree, and smiled slightly. Then she noticed a few berry bushes, appearing to be oran and sitrus, which was interesting enough. The oran bush had 13 berries that she could see, while the sitrus had 6 growing on it.

She noticed a boulder off to her left. It had moss growing on it, and she thought that it looked very soft. There were smaller rocks around it, but the boulder in particular drew her attention. It just looked so… unusual. Just it's shape. She shrugged it off.

She didn't spot anything else that she thought would seem important. She decided to go over everything in her mind. That was when Wolfe moved to sit in front of her. She switched her attention so that she was focused on him. He smiled his amazing smile, before he moved closer to her. Then he winked at her, and kissed her hard, forcing her onto her back as he stood over her.

Lura felt her mind melt like it normally did when he kissed her as passionately as he was right now. She couldn't focus on anything but him for the life of her. Then he pressed his underbelly against hers and Lura just lost it. She kissed him back more passionately then she ever had before. This time she took the next step, and licked his mouth. He opened it, and Lura explored his mouth like she hadn't had the opportunity to before.

Then he broke off their kiss, and Lura let out a whine of disappointment. He grinned at her. "Sorry love, but we are in public you know. Who knows who's creeping around here looking at us. Although, if you really wanted I could take things even further. Maybe even to the extent of last night. Would you be interested in that?" he asked seductively.

Lura just stared at him with a bright blush, speechless. She didn't trust herself to answer his question, because she didn't know what she would say. Wolfe rubbed against her slowly, still wearing his characteristic grin. At this point, Lura knew she wanted to go all the way. She didn't care if they were being watched. However, before she could say anything, Wolfe hopped off her, leaving her feeling very disappointed.

"Now," he said, as though nothing had happened. "What do you notice that is different?"

Lura shook her head to try and clear it as she got to her feet, and tried to focus. She went back over what she had seen before, immediately trying to find the birds nest. It was still there, and she didn't notice anything different.

Then she went over the berry bushes. She blinked, as she noticed that there were fewer oran berries. She nodded once. _That's something different,_ she thought.

Then she looked at the mossy rock. Nothing was different about the rock itself, but she noticed a few of the stones were moved, as well as a new one that wasn't there before.

Finally, she noticed a familiar pokemon leaning against a tree in front of her.

"There are less berries on the oran bush, instead of 13 there are 12, the small stones surrounding the mossy boulder are moved, as well as there being an extra one, and Gabe is there as well," she reported.

Wolfe grinned as Gabe started clapping. "Nice job love! I'm very impressed," Wolfe praised her.

Gabe nodded in agreement, a smile on his face. "Nice job Mrs. Wolfe! Very impressive for your first try," he told her.

Lura beamed, but then she caught what he said and frowned in confusion. "Mrs. Wolfe?" she asked.

Gabe grinned mischievously, before explaining himself. "In human terms, you two are technically married, the equivalent of being mates in pokemon terms. When two humans marry, it's usual for the female to change their last name to that of the male's. His name is Aurumn Wolfe, Wolfe being his last name. So, I just gave you his last name as well," he said.

Lura blinked, feeling slightly sad, although happy at the same time. She indeed wasn't a Peterson anymore. She didn't know how she should feel about that. She decided that she would accept his last name, if only so her name wasn't a reminder to what had been. She nodded decisively.

"Alright, I can accept that," she told them with a smile. Gabe grinned at her, as Wolfe, well Mr. Wolfe she supposed, kissed her cheek.

"I love you," he whispered to her. She turned her head and kissed him softly.

"I love you too, Aurumn," she replied.

They spent the next few hours having Lura practice her observational skills. The changes became simpler, yet even more unnoticeable. Lura still found them though. Both Wolfe and Gabe were very impressed with her, they told her so often. When they finally finished for the day, Lura felt very accomplished.

They were heading back to their hut, with Gabe tagging along, when a familiar jolteon made an appearance. He approached their group slowly, looking nervous. Lura just stared at him blankly, while Gabe ignored him. Wolfe just nodded to him with a slight smile.

Tal walked up to Lura and sat down a comfortable distance away from her. He blushed slightly and looked away, as she just stared at him, waiting patiently. Finally, he looked up at her and made eye contact with her.

"Lura, I am so sorry for yesterday. I was incredibly inconsiderate and just downright rude. I'm not going to apologize for how I feel, but I will apologize for my actions. I shouldn't have asked you what I asked you, and I definitely shouldn't have kissed you. I am so sorry for everything," he told her.

As Tal waited for a response, Lura stared at him blankly. She obviously forgave him, but she didn't necessarily need to let him know that immediately. As he started to shift around uncomfortably, Lura suddenly smiled at him brightly.

"I forgive you! Just don't do that again," she told him.

Tal stared at her in shock, before he smiled brightly.

"Don't worry, I won't!" he told her. Lura giggled, before walking up to him and kissing his cheek, causing him to gape at her.

Then she walked back to Wolfe and nuzzled against him, so that he knew she didn't mean anything by that, except being friendly. Wolfe chuckled at her. Then he spoke to the jolteon, who still looked stunned.

"Tal, why don't you join us? We're going back to our hut, and then to Cook's Pub," he told him.

Tal shook himself before nodding excitedly. "Sure! I'd love too! Thank you for asking me!" he answered. Wolfe laughed at his excitement.

They started walking again, this time with Tal tagging along, when Wolfe suddenly stopped.

"Actually, let's just go straight to the pub," he said.

They all frowned at him. "Why?" they asked in unison.

Wolfe laughed sheepishly, before saying, "Our little hut might be a little… dirty per se."

Lura blushed brightly, as Tal looked confusedly at him, and Gabe laughed openly.

"I don't get it," Tal said, still looking confused.

Lura blushed even brighter, and said, "I agree with Aurumn. Let's just go to the Pub."

Everyone except Tal changed directions and started heading deeper into Haven's main area. "Can someone please explain what you meant?" he called after them.

"No!" Lura shouted back at him.

 **[POV: Tal]**

Tal had a mixture of emotions running through him. One was happiness. Both Lura and Wolfe had forgiven him, which was definitely more than he deserved. He knew he had crossed a line yesterday. Strangely enough though, he didn't regret kissing her. He regretted her response, and telling her to have a relationship with him behind Wolfe's back. That wasn't very appropriate of him. After all, he knew that Wolfe would be hurt, or at least he thought he would be. It was hard to tell with him sometimes.

Currently they were all sitting at a roughshod table in Cook's Pub, exchanging banter as they waited for their food to arrive. They actually had a rather large group of people surrounding them, all laughing at Wolfe's stories and jokes. Looking at him, Tal knew why he fell for him. He was the life of the party, friends with everyone. Yet there was always something so mysterious about him. Almost as if he had more pain than anyone else. It was… intriguing. Also didn't help that he was very, very, _very,_ attractive.

Tal was listening to his story, laughing with the crowd at all the right moments. It was a story of a contract he had been given. This one wasn't an assassination, it was regular mercenary work. Wolfe had been paid to guard a noble and his mistress, but the mistress was what one would call… spirited. She loved her wine, she was very boisterous and she didn't have a problem asking others for sex. This led to many interesting events between her and random men on the road. Never Wolfe though, as he was always professional when on a job.

The end of the story had everyone laughing, as the noble ended up being very frustrated with her after she asked his _father_ for some fun. Tal found that he was genuinely laughing at the end. Just Wolfe's impersonations of everyone and the sheer absurdity of the situation alone had him laughing. After Wolfe had finished his story, the crowd dispersed, after giving him either a clap on the back or a handshake. Then their food arrived.

"Sorry about that," Wolfe told them with a sheepish grin. "I can be pretty long winded."

Lura giggled at him, and Tal chuckled. "You're fine. It was a pretty entertaining story," Lura told him. Tal nodded in agreement. Gabe just looked bored.

"You forgot to tell them that his father had accepted," the gallade complained.

"Well, it's not that I forgot, it's just no one wants to hear about an old man getting it on," he replied. They all laughed and nodded in agreement. This was when Tal heard someone call Wolfe's name. The voice sounded slightly upset.

After turning to face the voice, Tal was surprised to see that it was Ellis, who had entered the pub with Pink and Rose.

"Wolfe!" the male sylveon shouted. Wolfe turned to look at him, and gave him a questioning look. He beckoned the three over to their table.

"What can I do for you?" Wolfe asked him once the three got close enough. Ellis waited until they all sat down before answering.

"To start things off, you two owe me," he replied, pointing at Wolfe and Lura. The two shared a confused look, before Lura asked, "Er… why exactly?"

The sylveon glared at them. "For certain events that took place in your hut last night. Do you have any idea how _loud_ you two were? Especially you!" he exclaimed, pointing a paw at Lura.

Lura immediately blushed, and Tal found himself thinking how cute she looked when she did that. It made him sad that they would never be together like that. Then he processed what Ellis had said.

"Wait, why was she loud last night? Shouldn't they have been sleeping?" he asked confusedly.

Lura, Ellis, Wolfe, Pink and Rose all turned to look at him incredulously. Ellis turned back to Wolfe. "He's joking, right? Please tell me that he's joking," he demanded.

Wolfe started laughing as Lura's blush deepened. Tal frowned in confusion. _I don't get what's so funny…_ he thought. Then Rose sighed.

"Talonko, do you have any idea how _dense_ you are? Sometimes I wonder if you're too innocent for your own good. They're mates, Tal. What do you think they did?" she asked in exasperation.

Tal blinked once. Then twice, and finally a third time. Then his eyes widened as he made the connection. "Wait, what!" he exclaimed. He turned to Lura. "You told me that you haven't mated yet," he said crossly.

Lura hid her face behind her tail. "Well, when I said that, we hadn't yet. This just happened last night," she squeaked out.

Gabe started laughing now. He patted Tal's back in his amusement. "Tal, never change, alright? You're so scatter brained sometimes that it's hilarious," he told the jolteon.

Tal blinked at him.

Ellis then brought the conversation back to where it started. "All innocence aside, you two owe me," he said, glaring at Wolfe. Wolfe just shrugged.

"I can't help that she's loud. I did tell her to bite me to keep quiet, but obviously that didn't go so well. So really, she owes you. Not me," he excused himself.

Ellis kept glaring at him. "You're the one that made her loud!"

"Not my fault that I'm good."

Lura cut in, having slightly recovered her composure. Though what she said totally floored Tal. "Well, would it be alright if you joined us next time? You asked earlier, so I guess this would be as good an opportunity as ever," she said.

Everyone stared at her in shock. Even Ellis. Then Wolfe chuckled, before saying, "You naughty, naughty little vappy. You never cease to amaze me. Any case, I'm game. What say you?" He turned to Ellis as he was speaking.

Ellis shook his head, before saying, "I suppose that'll be a start. But on a few conditions, which I'll explain later."

Wolfe and Lura nodded in agreement, Lura still blushing.

Tal switched his glances between them all, first looking at Lura, then Ellis, and finally Wolfe. He felt… conflicted. Again. He decided that it really wasn't his business anyway, and shrugged it off.

Then Pink decided to speak. "Alright, now that all the perversity is out of the way, did you all hear the news going around town?" she asked.

They all turned their attention to her. "What news?" Tal asked.

"They're going to be holding a vote for our new Lord sometime in the next couple of months. Supposedly the majority of Haven wants it," she explained.

Tal stared at her, shocked. "Are you serious?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes, yes I am. Everyone's name is on the vote, even us pokemon as well. Supposedly a group of volunteers will be coming around in the next couple of months to ask everyone who they want. It's a bit of an unusual system, but it works I suppose. Simplicity and all that."

They all shared looks, each very intrigued. Except Wolfe. He had a pained look on his face. "Is there any way you can get your name off the vote?" he asked.

Pink shook her head. "Nope. We're all on it, no matter what."

Wolfe groaned, before slamming his head on the table. Gabe started laughing at him again. "Partner, I'm just going out on a limb and saying that you don't want to be on the vote. Am I right?" he asked, still laughing.

Wolfe raised his head slightly and glared at him. "No. A thousand times no. No."

Tal frowned. "Why not?" he asked.

Wolfe turned his attention to him. "In votes like this, people always vote for someone who's name they recognize, regardless of their capabilities as a ruler. I am _very_ well known. I can safely say that me and Stephen are the only two people here that absolutely everyone knows. That means there's a really high chance that I could be chosen. Fuck that. Everyone should vote for Stephen. Let him deal with the headache," he told him.

"Don't you want to be in a position like that?" Tal asked. Wolfe shook his head.

"No, no I do not. A Lord is the most hated man in any city, but he's also the most loved. Hate his taxes, loves his protection and all that shit. A Lord also is expected to be in one place for extended periods of time. I can't do that. I'm a mercenary. I like to travel. I hate sitting still. Even now I'm itching for a contract," he explained.

"Is that so now? Well then, I might have picked just the perfect time to bring one to your attention," a new, feminine voice cut in.

They all turned to stare at the new pokemon, and Tal almost felt his jaw drop. Standing there, with a small smile on her face, was an umbreon, one that Tal didn't recognize. She was very attractive, with all the right curves in all the right places. She had sleek, shiny fur and glorious blue rings where Wolfe had yellow ones. Her eyes were perhaps her most stunning feature though. They were a deep blue, something that Tal knew wasn't exactly common.

Wolfe grinned at her, ears perked upright, before gesturing to an empty seat across from him, coincidentally next to Tal. "Now if that's not music to my ears, I don't know what is. Take a seat, and tell me what I can do for you," he said.

She nodded her appreciation before taking a seat. "My name is Cordina, but you may call me Cory. You are Aurumn Wolfe, right? If so, I have a contract for you," she said.

He nodded. "I am indeed Aurumn Wolfe, though most call me Wolfe. Call me whatever suits you. What kind of services would you need? Assassination or other mercenary work?"

"For the most part, mercenary work. But, that might become an assassination depending on how things play out," she told him. He nodded again.

"Alright, what kind of mercenary work are we talking about?"

She smiled slightly again. "Protection, for myself. That will only be the primary purpose, but I may ask you to do other smaller favors from time to time, such as sneaking me into places where I may not normally be allowed, or making certain individuals disappear."

Wolfe thought for a moment. Then he nodded. "Alright, I can do those things. But I have to ask a few questions." She nodded once.

"Alright, firstly, how did you come to find Haven?" he asked.

"Word travels quickly from place to place. Spearow or pidgey would tell other pokemon, and eventually word reached me, as well as those I am a part of."

"Fair enough. Where would we be headed, or would you prefer to have it as a time basis? Meaning, would you prefer to pay me for distance, or for duration?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment. Then she nodded. "Duration," she said.

Gabe let out a low whistle. "Pricey," he said, before drinking from his tankard.

Wolfe nodded. "Alright, how long are we talking?"

She smiled softly. "Three years."

Gabe immediately spit out his drink, before coughing. Luckily, he was facing away from their table. Unluckily, he was facing a different table that was occupied. Both occupants glared at him. He apologized, before turning back towards Cordina.

"I'm sorry, I may have miss heard you. Did you say three _years_?" he asked her.

She nodded, though a look of uncertainty crossed her face. "Is that unusual?" she asked.

Gabe nodded, speechless. Wolfe frowned at her. "And how are you expecting to pay for this?" he demanded.

She smiled at him again, before replying. "With poke, or other methods if that is your preference. After all, three years is a long time for two people to spend a lot of solo time with each other. Who knows what will happen on occasion," she said with a wink.

Wolfe sighed and shook his head. "You do realize that this will be very expensive, right?" he asked, totally ignoring her hint. Cory frowned, looking sad for a moment before replying.

"Yes, I am aware that this will be very expensive. But, price is not an issue. Name it and you will be paid."

Wolfe groaned. Then he looked at Gabe. "200,000?" he asked. Gabe nodded.

"That would be standard, when it's all said and done."

Cory widened her eyes slightly. "That's it? I was expecting it to be more. What, for three years and all."

Wolfe shook his head. "No, that's 200,000 poke per year, up front," he told her.

This time she blinked in surprise for another reason. "That… that is pretty expensive." She sighed. "But, as I said, price is no issue. But, now I must ask you a question. How reliable are your services, exactly?"

Gabe laughed at her. "Miss, I wonder if you actually did any research on him. No matter, I guarantee that, so long as his price is met, you won't have to worry about a thing. He'll protect you like no one else ever could. Hell, you might not even run into any trouble at all. Very few people will tangle with him, and those that do won't last longer than three minutes. Plus, he's very good at keeping people warm at night," he told her, looking very serious.

Wolfe glared at him. "My mate is right here you know," he said, pointing at Lura. Lura was looking very sad at the direction the conversation was headed.

Gabe glared back at him. "Look me in the eyes and tell me, that if she gave you permission to, you wouldn't even touch anyone else."

Wolfe just frowned, and looked at Lura. She just nodded, before smiling slightly, though it looked forced.

Cory nodded. "Alright, that seems fair enough. I just have one more question for you. Is there any way at all that you can guarantee my safety? No matter what?" she asked.

Wolfe looked at her with a raised eye brow. Then he thought for a moment. Finally, he answered her. "Yes, there is, though it comes at a higher price, and some of it personal. I could mark you, even as Mrs. Lovely over here is," he said, nodding his head at Lura. Lura rotated her body slightly so the wolf on her shoulder was visible.

Cordina frowned. "What kind of personal price?"

"If I'm ever touching you, I will know what you are feeling, even if you yourself aren't aware. I will always know your location, regardless of the distance, and I will also be able to communicate in your head, even though you are a dark type and telepathy doesn't normally work. It will also be very visible, and will not disappear," he explained.

She blinked at him. Then she looked down at the table. "I suppose that would be acceptable. Just promise me that you'll never abuse that kind of information. How much more will that cost?" she asked.

Wolfe shared a look with Lura. Tal noticed that both of them looked slightly unfocused. Finally, Wolfe turned back towards Cordina.

"Before I answer that question, I must ask you another question. How old are you, exactly?"

"I am ten years," she answered. Wolfe nodded, though Tal's eyes widened in shock. _She certainly doesn't look that young. She's just barely an adult,_ he thought.

"When will you pay me for the contract?" Wolfe asked.

"I can get you your money today, all 600,000. Plus whatever you charge for the mark."

Wolfe smiled slightly. "My mark is not exactly available to most people. Point in fact, I have only marked three other people, those being Lura, Gabe, and Gabe's mate. Provided that you pay the price for my services by night time, I will give you my mark free of charge."

She stared at him, obviously shocked. "Might I ask why?" she asked. Wolfe shrugged.

"Consider it a whim."

She blinked, and frowned. "Alright. If you do this for me, I will be in your debt."

He shook a paw nonchalantly. "Don't sweat it."

She nodded. Then her face became unfocused slightly, before a gardevoir appeared next to her, along with six bulging bags. The gardevoir bowed, before she disappeared again. Wolfe blinked.

"Uh…" he said, voice trailing off. He nodded at Gabe, and Tal saw each bag glow purple for a moment, along with the gallades eyes. Then the glow faded and he nodded. Wolfe turned back to Cory. "Alright. I'm not going to lie, I thought you were pulling my leg, but you actually paid it all. That's… surprising, to say the least. Give me a month, and then we can head out. I need to let my arm heal properly," he told her.

She blinked at him curiously. "But… your arm looks fine to me," she said, obviously confused. Tal laughed lightly as Wolfe closed his eyes and concentrated. A moment later, a dark flash filled the room and Wolfe was in human form, left arm in a splint. He grinned, and winked at Cordina, as she stared at him, dumbstruck. Lura giggled at her, as did Pink and Rose. Then Wolfe changed back.

"So yeah, about a month. I won't count this month as part of the contract, as I'm not actually on duty," he told the gaping umbreon. She shook her head to clear it and nodded understandingly. Then she looked concerned, as well as slightly worried.

"Uhm… do you have a place that I could stay until then?" she asked. Wolfe raised an eyebrow, before sharing a look with Lura. Lura shrugged. Wolfe turned back to Cory.

"You can stay in our hut if you'd like. Ours meaning mine and Lura's," he offered. Tal was about to interject and say that she could stay at his hut, but then common sense told him that Rio might not appreciate the extra company. So he kept his mouth shut.

Cordina looked relieved, and nodded her head in agreement. "Thank you, I would greatly appreciate that."

Ellis then frowned. "Wait, what about our deal?"

Wolfe stared at him. "What about it? I didn't say that we couldn't while she was there, did I? We're still on."

Ellis nodded with a smile, as Cory looked at Wolfe in confusion. "Uh, what deal was that exactly?"

Lura answered for them. "Er, me and Aurumn might have been a bit noisy last night. We accidentally woke up Ellis, so as repayment we're letting him join us for some 'fun' tonight."

Cory's eyes brightened. "Oh, can I join?" she asked. Wolfe laughed at her.

"Sorry hon, but you're going to be passed out by then. Maybe another time," he told her with a wink.

Lura giggled, though Tal was confused. "Uh, why will she be passed out?" he asked.

Lura answered. "When he marked me, I passed out till around noon the next day. Something about the energy it uses or whatever," she explained.

Cory frowned slightly, but then a devious look entered her eyes as she grinned. "So what if we wait till after our little 'fun' session. That could work, no?"

Lura giggled behind a paw again. "Ooh, I like her," she exclaimed. She turned to Wolfe. "I think that could work. Right?" she asked him.

Ellis smiled as well. "I don't see any problem with it either. After all, the more the merrier!"

All three turned their eyes to Wolfe, who was looking at them with amusement. He spoke to Cordina again.

"Have you ever been mated before?" he asked her.

Cory frowned again, as she shook her head. "No, no I have not. I've always wanted to though. Is that a bad thing?" she asked nervously.

Wolfe laughed loudly. "Cory, if you can promise me that you'll still be able to function afterwards, I will agree."

She smiled brightly, and nodded. "I promise!" she said. Wolfe shook his head in amusement. Then he turned back to Lura. "You sure you're alright with this?" he asked her. She nodded with a grin, looking excited.

Tal had to let out a slight chuckle at how much she had changed since being in a relationship with Wolfe. She was way more outspoken now, and barely shy at all, though it was still very adorable whenever she was. He smiled slightly. _I'm glad that she's happy. If I'm honest, I don't think that I would be able to do the same for her that he has. Who knows, I might even join one of your little 'fun' sessions. That would be more than I could hope for. I'm glad that we're friends, you and I. I love you two a lot, but I suppose if you are happier with each other, who am I to complain?_

 **[POV: Cordina]**

By the time they had left the pub, it was night time. Gabe had taken the poke to his and Wolfe's stash, before heading back to his mate for the night. Wolfe, Lura, Ellis and Cordina were headed to Wolfe and Lura's shack, as well as the place that Cordina would be staying for the next month.

 _Well that went better than expected,_ she thought happily. _Not only did I actually find the right man for the job, I also get to experience mating for the first time. In a foursome, no less!_ It seems that this Wolfe person could do it all. Not only was he guaranteeing her safety for three years, he's also allowing her to live out her fantasies despite not knowing her at all.

 _Who knows. Maybe he'll be the one to take away the pain of_ his _memory._ She didn't want to think about him though. She wanted to think about the future. This was a job for her, much like it was for Wolfe, though she wasn't paid nearly as much. She was chosen for it for three reasons: she was a superb soldier in the Dark Army, she had a similar personality to Wolfe from what their experts could tell, and she was very attractive. This, combined with the fact that she was an umbreon, same as Wolfe, made their chances of success in getting Wolfe's services skyrocket. What was coming was just a little… extra.

She wasn't told to do any such acts with him, in fact, she was specifically told not to. But what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them. After all, no one said that Wolfe was such a looker. _Besides, I need something to take my mind off of things…_

As she followed Wolfe and Lura, she cast her thoughts to the vaporeon. _She's a lucky gal, not to mention she seems very friendly. I think I could grow to like her. It's a shame she won't be coming with us._

Finally, they arrived before a sturdy looking shack, and Lura immediately entered. Ellis turned to Wolfe, and told him, "Hold on a moment, I'm going to need to get some oil from my shack."

Wolfe stopped him with a paw. "Don't bother, there's some here already," he told the sylveon. Ellis raised an eyebrow in surprise, before shrugging and heading through the door into the shack.

Cordina turned to Wolfe with a slight frown. "Oil?" she asked.

Wolfe winked at her. "Don't worry about that, it won't be used with you unless you want to try that. It's just regular olive oil, and it acts as a very nice lube."

Cordina's eyes widened. "Oh my. Well, we'll see how the night goes. Who knows, I might want to try that anyway."

Wolfe laughed at her, and gestured for her to enter with a dramatic wave of his paw and a bow of his head. She smiled.

"Why thank you good sir, such the gentleman. It's so _rare_ to find such courtesy nowadays. It's so hard for well to do lady in these times," she told him in a snobbish tone, before regally strutting past him, flicking his nose lightly as she did so. She heard him laugh and say, "Oh, you and I are going to get along just fine. If you can keep up with me that is." Then she entered the hut, followed shortly by Wolfe.

 ** _{TIME SKIP}_  
**

 **[POV: Cordina]**

"Well that was fun!" she exclaimed as they exited the hut. She knew she would be sore in the morning, but she decided that it was very worth it.

Wolfe laughed at her. "I'm glad, because I thought so myself. Not surprise I was one of the last standing, but I am slightly surprised that you were," he told her.

She grinned at him. "Well, I am a soldier after all. I'm a member of the Dark Army."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Dark Army, huh?" he asked as they stopped in front of the hut.

She nodded. "It's a party of mostly dark type pokemon. We do odd jobs here and there, and our end goal is to protect all innocent pokemon, as well as fight against the prejudice people have towards dark types."

He nodded understandingly. "A worthy goal."

She smiled, glad that he agreed with their logic. Then she looked around. "What exactly do I have to do?" she asked.

He laughed. "Nothing, just follow my instructions."

She nodded. She was a soldier, she could do that.

"I need you to focus on me and the moon right now, alright? Just the moon and me, nothing else."

She stared at the moon, much like she did on a regular basis. She smiled. It was indeed pretty.

Then she focused on Aurumn. He was a very attractive 'mon, and he also seemed to be genuinely nice. She liked him, a lot. Probably more than she should.

"Alright, I'm going to touch you now. Just keep focusing on me and the moon."

She felt him place a paw against her left shoulder.

"Alright, now I want you to breathe."

She did. She breathed in.  
Then she breathed out.

Then darkness flashed over her as she lost consciousness.

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

 _Well, I guess that's that,_ he thought, as he put Cordina on his back to bring her inside. It amused him how similar this was to when he gave Lura her mark.

As he set her on the bed next to Lura, he had to smile slightly. Lura was just so beautiful. So wonderful. He loved every bit of her. And now he would be leaving her for three years.

 _I'm sorry, Lura. I love you so much, but this is something I need to do. I want answers. This Dark Army is something me and Luna talked about creating. I need to know if what I think is true, really is._

As he laid down next to Lura and Cordina, wrapping his tail around them both, he had to smile slightly. Here he was, sleeping with two beautiful eeveelutions, and there was Ellis, face down with his rump in the air, completely passed out. He chuckled in amusement as he let sleep take over him.

 _Yeah, I'm the alpha male here._

* * *

 **HOLY FUCKSTICKS 734 VIEWS! Sorry that this chapter took so long to get out, work had been an absolute ass lately. So I threw in another lemon to try and make up for it. Also, I noticed that chapter 7, for some weird reason, has more views than all my other chapters except for chapter 1. Hmmmm. Lol, but seriously, thank you all for reading my story. This chapter is officially my longest chapter, at close to 10,000 words. Also, it holds my longest lemon. I hope that you all like my story, and let me know what I can do to make it better. Also, I REMEMBERED WHAT WAS TO HAPPEN IN THE 4 YEARS THAT I MENTIONED! So yeah, I'm back on track. Anycase, yhank you all again, and I'll see you next chapter.**

 **-Aurumn**


	10. Chapter 9: A Day In Haven

**A/N: Hey all, it's Aurumn again. Y'all sick of me yet? No? That's a shame. I guess I'll have to keep posting chapters then. What a bummer, right? Any case, it's Chapter 9 time! Woot! It's quite amazing how many views this story has had, as well as how quickly they arrived. As I'm writing now, my story has been out for 2 weeks. Count 'em, 2. That's T-W-O. Yeah, and I'm already nearing 800 views. I guess that golden saying rings true. "Keep Piling Shit Up Until Someone Notices." Yeah, this is my pile of shit. But it's good shit ;). Just so people don't get the wrong idea, no. Scat play is not going to be in this story or any story that I write. Fuck that. Ew. Now if that's your thing, well, you do you I say. I don't judge, just don't do it around me. Don't know how the hell I got on that topic. Any case, story! Woot! Views and shit! Now we're back on this topic again, great.**

 **That said, onto the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I, Aurumn, do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliates. I do, however, own my OC's and the story I've put them in.**

* * *

 **[POV: Cordina 910 BBF]**

 _ **{And another one.}**_

 _ **[Okay, DJ Khaled.]**_

Cordina was warm. Warm and comfortable. More warm and comfortable than she had ever been. She snuggled deeper into the warmth. It released a small laugh. Then there were voices, one smooth and comforting, and the other deep and calming.

"Should we wake her up?" smooth and comforting asked.

"No. Let her sleep, she had a hard night. Plus, she's awfully pretty when she sleeps," deep and calming answered.

"True. Oh, and you did mark her last night as well."

"Yeah. In more ways than one, I might add." There was a chuckle. Then there was a smacking sound. "Ow! Hey, what was that for?"

"Sorry, there was a spider on you."

"This is domestic violence. Ellis, go get Gabe! Have him hold her back!"

"You're impossible."

More chuckling. "But you all love me anyway. Just ask Cordina. See, she's waking up!"

There some shuffling sounds, and then she felt someone hovering over her. "Well, do you love him?"

Cordina blearily opened her eyes to stare at the vaporeon hovering above her head. "Love who?" she asked tiredly. Lura pointed a paw at another umbreon, who she was currently snuggled up against. He was staring at her with a mischievous grin. Wolfe. Cordina yawned, before nodding her head. "Yeah, why not," she said. Then she laid her head back down, and snuggled even deeper into him.

"See, I told you," Wolfe said.

"You know, one of these days, you're going to meet someone that _doesn't_ like you. When that day arrives, I'll be sitting there laughing at you," a musical, yet distinctly male voice said. Ellis. And Lura had the lovely smooth and comforting voice. "And besides, the only reason she said that is because she's so tired," Ellis continued.

"Hey now, let me have my moment in the sun. It's not every day that you find out that someone is in love with you," Wolfe replied. Lura giggled.

Then their conversation clicked in her head, and Cordina leaped to her feet, panicking slightly. "Now hold on, who said I was in love with anybody?!" she exclaimed.

"Uh, you did. Like, 30 seconds ago," Lura answered.

Cory shook her body quickly, and stared at the other umbreon, who she was currently pressed up against. She studied him for a few moments, studying his face and eyes. Then she smirked slightly. "Nah, I ain't in love with him like that. He's like a brother or something," she said.

Wolfe looked at her curiously. "Do you let your brothers fuck you often? Because they have a word for that you know."

She frowned as Ellis started laughing and Lura giggled again. "You know, it's a lot easier to tease someone who isn't a smart ass," she said.

He shrugged. "I'm not the one that fucks their brother."

She glared at him. "You're impossible."

He grinned, "But you love me anyway."

"Love is such a strong word."

"Doesn't mean it's wrong."

At this point, Cory's body caught up with last night, and she let out a groan of pain as she collapsed against Wolfe, who caught her easily. He looked down on her with concern, as she started groaning. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

She nodded. "I'll be fine, just some pain. I may have over done my first mating experience," she said. Wolfe laughed at her.

"Yeah, maybe just a little. But, I had fun. So did the other two, and I believe that you did as well," he said.

She smiled. "Yeah, I enjoyed it," she said. Then she frowned at him. "That does not mean that I love you though."

"You say that now, wait till you've been around me for three years."

She glared at him as Lura giggled. Then she sighed, and looked at the vaporeon. "How do you deal with him?" she asked helplessly.

Lura smiled at her. "I just go with it. He's a very cuddly guy, so if you want him to calm down just cuddle with him or something," she answered.

Cordina frowned. The she groaned and tried to get to her feet. She managed it, but her legs were shaking pretty bad. She would be sore for a while.

"You know, I haven't been this sore since I went through the Dark Army's training," she said matter of factly.

Wolfe laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment. Meanwhile, since I lasted the longest, you all get to buy me lunch."

They all frowned at him. Then Cordina said, "If I remember right, I lasted as long as you did."

Wolfe chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, so that's why I had to carry you to bed, huh?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

She smacked him lightly with her paw. "No. Bad. I passed out because of the mark, not because of the events before it."

He frowned. "Still counts, doesn't it? I mean, I was the last one awake."

She shook her head and glared. He sighed. Then he turned to Ellis. "Alright, since you were the first person I saw pass out, you get to buy, alright?"

The girls nodded in agreement, causing Wolfe's grin to widen. Ellis frowned, before pointing a paw at Lura. "No, she definitely was the first to knock out. So that means she pays," he stated.

Wolfe frowned. "But that means that I'm buying," he complained. Lura and Cordina giggled.

"Well, consider it like this. Doesn't the gentleman usually buy the ladies food?" Cordina asked.

Wolfe glared at her, before he started laughing. "Alright, I'll buy for you and Lura since that logic makes sense, but Ellis buys for Ellis, alright?"

Ellis cleared his throat. "Actually, I need to get back to Pink. She wanted to do something today," he told them. Wolfe shrugged.

"Alright, I'll just be by myself with these lovely ladies. Who knows, we might even follow up on last night," he said with a wink at them. They just giggled.

Wolfe led the way through Haven towards Cook's Pub again, as that was really their only option. As they walked, Cordina took the time to appreciate how much the citizens of Haven had accomplished. She had come from an area that the sickness had already passed through, up in Darvia. She was one of the lucky ones that had never come into contact with the illness, but she knew many pokemon that lost their lives to it.

Like him.

But she wasn't going to think about that. She was going to focus on the future. Keep moving forward. That's what she was taught. That's what _they_ were taught. She knew that, had she died and he lived, he would have moved on, probably quicker than she was.

As she was lost in these thoughts, she didn't notice Wolfe slowing down so that he matched her pace. She only became aware when she felt his tail rest on her back. She flinched and stared at him. He just kept looking ahead, seemingly not focused on her. She guessed that she was seeming to be very sad, and this was his way of comforting her.

She smiled slightly at that thought. The thought that someone would care enough to do that for her. It made her feel a little bit happier about life. She decided not to shrug away his tail, like she would with most pokemon.

As they walked, all three side by side with Wolfe in the middle, Cordina found that she was happier than she'd been for a while. But she didn't know why. She decided not to question it, and just go with the flow.

When they arrived at the Pub, Wolfe led them to the table they had sat at the night before, with the gallade from last night already sitting there, looking bored. Cordina sniffed the air hungrily. She didn't get to eat anything yesterday, and had been living off wild berries, or any other smaller pokemon she might come across. Like raticate. She loved a good raticate in the morning.

She noticed Wolfe studying her intently, a slight frown on his face. "When was the last time you ate?" he asked her.

She thought for a moment. "About five days ago," she said.

Wolfe kept frowning at her, as Lura stared at her with wide eyes. Immediately Cordina felt self-conscious. "Is that bad?" she asked nervously. Lura nodded mutely.

"Yes, yes it is," Wolfe told her. Then he sighed. "Alright, I'll have to get you back onto a healthy meal schedule." He waved a paw at the person manning the bar. She nodded, and walked over to them.

"What would you like?" she asked politely.

"Four meat pies, as well as a few bowls of ale, and three bowls of water," Wolfe answered for them. The lady nodded, and disappeared into the kitchen. Lura blinked in surprise, as did Cordina. _Uh, ale,_ she wondered?

Then the gallade snorted. "I take it that you're in the mood for some other form of fun?" he asked Wolfe. The umbreon grinned and nodded.

"Uh, ale? Isn't that a human beverage?" Cory asked.

The gallade, whose name she couldn't remember, nodded. "Yes, it is. However, he doesn't give a shit," he told her with a nod at Wolfe. Wolfe grinned.

"Hey, it's actually very interesting as a pokemon. It takes less for you to get the same effects. I intend to be drunk for the rest of the day," he told them. Lura frowned, as Cory sniffed interestingly. Wolfe winked at her. "You look interested, do you want to join me?" he asked.

The gallade sniffed disapprovingly, while Lura frowned again. Cordina smiled nervously. "Well, I might be interested. What exactly happens when you're drunk?" she asked.

The gallade snorted. "You lose all sense of self control is what happens. It's even worse when you're as 'free' as the demon there."

Wolfe frowned at him. "Ignore Gabe, he's just cranky that he can't get drunk. Any case, when you're drunk, you just feel happier, forget a few bad memories, as well as lose some motor skills. It does affect your decision-making skills, mostly by making you lose your self-control. If you want to do something, odds are that you'll do it," he told her.

Cordina frowned. _Memories, huh._ She nodded decisively. "Alright, I'll get drunk with you."

Wolfe grinned at her. "Great! I actually have a drinking buddy! Getting drunk alone is just sad. No one to be stupid with. Now, you will need to eat a fair bit, otherwise there is a chance that today will suck for you. Just do as I do, and when I tell you you're done, you're done. No more."

Cordina nodded. "Alright, deal."

They exchanged idle chit-chat for a few moments, before Lura asked Cordina about her mark.

"Hey, can I see your mark? It looked different than mine," she told her.

Cory shrugged, and rotated her body to show Lura the mark. Lura gasped. "It's just like your rings!" she exclaimed. She prodded her shoulder with a paw.

Immediately Cordina was lost in a memory that wasn't hers.

 **[Wolfe's Memories]**

 _She heard loud noise, bangs and explosions. She didn't know how, but she knew they were the sounds of gunfire and all out war. She took a glance around her, and saw that she was on a military base, with a field filled with vehicles strewn over it. Across the field, she saw the enemy had set up a defensive position, with concrete barriers as well as sand bags protecting them and their objectives entrance. In the background she saw a large metal structure, appearing to be a tower._

" _Push forward!" her sergeant shouted._

 _She gripped her rifle and then ran forward, out of cover and towards their objective in the distance. She knew that they needed to take this base out, otherwise their war might as well be lost._

" _Zero, get your ass in place and start doing what you do best!" she heard through her earpiece. She didn't bother responding, instead changing directions slightly as she headed towards a burnt out vehicle, about 300 meters from the enemy placement. She reached it and started to set up her battle station. Magazines filled with 5.56 rounds set out next to her, as she got into a prone position, using the vehicle as cover. She brought her rifle up to her shoulder and glanced through her optic._

 _She saw her brothers pushing forward, through a hail of bullets as the enemy tried to slow them down. But they wouldn't be stopped. They couldn't. She watched as she saw a brother go down, a few lucky hits ending his life. She felt a cold rage building up in her. No one harms her family. No one._

 _She aimed towards a machine gun placement that was wreaking havoc with her brothers. She breathed calmly and squeezed her trigger. The enemy manning the gun went down. She continued her process, taking out any and all enemies that she could see. She never missed. She didn't feel any remorse for them. She just felt… nothing. Protect her brothers and complete the objective. That's all she would do._

 _She had just finished off her first magazine, and had slammed another one in, when she heard an explosion, much closer than the rest. She turned her attention to where the sound had come from. She saw a new crater, right next to another vehicle, which was now on flipped and on fire. Then she saw three of her brothers, all obviously wounded, with a fourth obviously dead. He was just blown to pieces by whatever explosive that the enemy had just used._

 _She grabbed another magazine, and put it in her vests pocket, designed for just that. Then she got to her feet and sprinted towards them, with the sound of bullets whizzing by her head. She didn't feel anything hit her, so she knew she was good. As she got closer to them, she noticed that another four soldiers were running towards them as well, trying to help them._

 _She reached the crater first, slinging her rifle on her back as she did so. She grabbed two of her brothers by their vest and pulled them behind the truck that they were next to, moving them out of the enemy's line of fire. She hated open field battles. They were always the most costly._

 _When she had the wounded men safely behind cover, she went back for the third one, only to find him lying on his stomach and firing towards the objective. She had to admire his actions, but she had no time for heroics. Heroes just got themselves killed, and if she could help it, none of her brothers would die over stupid heroics. Not again._

 _She grabbed him by his vest and pulled him towards where she had taken the others, ignoring his protests. As she was dragging him, she felt a something hit her back with enough force to knock her down. She ignored the pain and got to her feet immediately, and continued to drag him towards cover. When she reached it, she immediately released him and turned her attention to covering for the other four comrades approaching them, shooting towards the enemy placement._

" _Wolfe, you're a dumbass. A brave, stupid dumbass," she heard her sergeant tell her from his headset. She just grinned, and ducked behind cover to reply._

" _I wouldn't say brave, Sergeant. I just know that they can't kill me. After all, you can't exactly kill a demon, now can you?" she told him._

 _Then she started shooting towards their emplacement again. Shortly after that, the four men arrived, one of which she recognized as a combat medic. She ducked behind cover again, as three of the four men started shooting towards the enemy as well._

 _She focused her attention on the wounded men, knowing that there wasn't much that she could do other than basic care under fire. Two of the men had their arms and legs bloodied, with the third seemingly uninjured, though he was coughing up blood. She guessed the blast had broken a few ribs. That was when she noticed a bit of metal protrudin from his side, under his arm. Punctured lung, definitely._

 _She knew that they would be fine, provided they got medical care soon, but the only way that could happen is if they completed the mission or someone took them back. She turned to the three men not treating the wounded, them having ducked back behind cover to reload and wait out the returning fire._

" _You three, as soon as doc here patches them up as best he can, I want you to bring them back behind our lines. They need medical attention, more than we can provide right now. I'm going to throw some smoke, then I'm going to try and flank around to their side. Once I'm in position, I'll take out all of them that I see. As soon as you see that machine gun up there get taken down, throw more smoke and run for it. Make sure that you get them out of here alive," she ordered them. They nodded in agreement, one looking relieved that she had a plan._

 _She got to her feet again, pulled out two of her three smoke grenades and primed them, then threw them. Once the smoke started to fill the area, she sprinted to the right, making use of any vehicles or other bits of cover on the way. Finally she was in a good enough position, though she didn't have any cover. To her right was a fence, and to her left was her comrades. She dropped to her knee and settled her rifle in her shoulder. Once the smoke cleared, she immediately started firing, targeting the big guns first, then working her way down._

 _She saw smoke erupting from where the wounded men had been out of the corner of her eye, and grinned. They were on the move. But now she was the focus of their attention. Luckily, her other comrades were able to help her out, forming a horse shoe around the entrance to their objective, all of them behind cover and firing at the enemy. She could only see a few more enemies, and she was out of ammo. She turned towards the nearest vehicle and ran to it, before diving behind it. She was safe, her comrades were safe, and it was almost guaranteed that they won._

 _As she caught her breath, she became aware of a dull throbbing in her left shoulder. Glancing at it, she realized that she had actually been shot. Adrenaline is a beautiful thing, she thought. Then she heard her sergeant speaking to her again._

" _Wolfe, I'm actually starting to believe that you might be a demon. Definitely to them you are. I'm glad that we have you with us," he told her. She grinned again, finally able to slow her breathing._

" _My first four year is up in around a month. What would you say if I were to renew that contract?" she asked him._

 _She heard laughter over the radio. "You've been in for four years, yet you act like you've been in for 40. I'd say hell yeah soldier. You're too good of one to lose," he replied._

 _She smiled and laughed. This was the shit she lived for. Making a difference, no matter where it happened. "Then I guess I'll be seeing you again, sergeant."_

 **[POV: Cordina]**

When she came to she was gasping and breathing hard, as was Lura. They both shared a look, before turning to Wolfe who was staring at them with concern.

"You two alright?" he asked.

Lura shook herself. "I think we just saw another one of your memories," she told him. Cordina nodded, still trying to process what had just happened.

He raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"

Cordina answered this time. "You were saving three men that had been blown up. Wolfe, where the hell was that? What the hell is a truck, or a rifle, or a bullet, or a machine gun, or anything?!"

He blinked. Then he nodded in remembrance. "You probably saw Operation Conquest. We were in a tough spot in the war, and we knew that that military base would be a key position for our enemies, so we had to take it out and cut off communications. Also didn't hurt that they were using that base as an arms and ammo storage. We caught them sitting back on their heels, and forced them into an enclosed area, the heart of their base and also their communications tower. Needless to say they lost," he explained to them. Lura nodded in understanding, while Cordina stared at him in confusion.

' _I will explain later, for now just don't worry about it. I'm a complicated man, what you saw is just part of my past,'_ she suddenly heard in her head. She flinched. No one had psychically spoken to her since she was an eevee, though she could speak to others like that. It was weird being a dark type pokemon that knew psychic.

She looked at Wolfe, who was staring at her with amusement. She nodded once. Then she asked him, "Why did that happen?"

He frowned. "I don't actually know. I don't exactly mark a lot of people, so I don't know absolutely everything that it does. It's very interesting though."

Lura cut into the conversation, saying, "That raises another question. How come when I kissed you for the first time, I saw a memory of yours. But when she kissed you last night, nothing happened?"

Wolfe smiled. "That one's actually pretty easy to answer. When we first kissed, you were already in love with me. Cordina, however, is not. Despite my teasing," he told them with a wink.

They both frowned at him. "You're a very complicated individual, Wolfe," Cory told him.

Lura nodded in agreement as Gabe snorted. "Oh, you have no idea," the gallade said.

Then the server returned with their food and drinks. Wolfe gestured for her to put a bowl of ale in front of him and the other in front of Cordina. Then he told her to get four more pies, as well as four more bowls of ale.

Cordina sniffed the food curiously, before taking a bite out of it. Immediately she decided that she loved it, and started to eat quickly, before Wolfe slowed her down.

"You haven't eaten for a while, and you don't want to get sick. Take your time, there's no rush," he told her.

She frowned in embarrassment, as she nodded, taking smaller bites less frequently. Then she sniffed her bowl. It smelled… interesting, in her opinion. She drank some of it, and had to fight the urge to spit it out. "That tastes awful!" she exclaimed. Gabe and Wolfe laughed at her.

"You don't drink it for the flavor, you drink it for the effects. If you want flavor, try mead," Wolfe said. She nodded in understanding and drank some more, trying to ignore the taste.

Five hours later, she was well and truly drunk, as was Wolfe. She found that she couldn't focus on anything at all, and that she also couldn't remember to be sad or upset about anything. Even when Lura accidentally knocked her out of her seat, she just laughed. When they left, Cordina decided that she liked being drunk. Not that she would do it everyday, as she was pretty sure she would regret that, but from time to time, yeah.

As they exited the Pub, Wolfe started singing. After listening for a few moments, Cordina realized that she recognized the song, and joined him. Their voices filled the air cheerfully, even as they started swaying to the rhythm. She was aware of Lura giggling at them, but she didn't mind.

They started randomly walking and singing, until they were exiting Haven's gates. Cordina didn't know where exactly they were going, though she was aware that Lura and Gabe had both come with them. She didn't mind, the more the merrier as they say.

They finally entered a clearing, which was decently sized, though she couldn't guess the exact size. Maybe when she was sober. There was an unusual boulder there, completely covered in moss, but she didn't really focus on that. She was too busy singing with Wolfe. They stopped in the middle of the clearing, and just sat there singing for a long time. Then Wolfe started to jump and twirl around, and Cordina realized that he was dancing. So, she joined him with a laugh.

After they had danced themselves into exhaustion, she became aware of Lura sitting next to them with a big grin on her face. She couldn't see Gabe, so she decided that he left. _Oh well,_ she thought.

"Well, I've decided that I might be drunk," Wolfe suddenly declared. Cordina started laughing at him as Lura giggled.

"Me too," Cordina told him.

"You know Cory, you're a pretty fun gal. I think that these next three years probably won't be that bad," he told her. Then he turned to Lura, "And don't worry about a thing love, odds are that I will visit you frequently. Plus we can use Gabe to deliver letters, he can read and write them for you."

Cordina smiled brightly at his comment, as Lura nodded, though she looked a little sad. Cordina felt bad for a moment. She pawed at Lura, getting her attention. "I'm sorry that it's for so long, but this is fairly important. I hope that you don't hate me," she told her, swaying slightly.

Lura giggled at her. "No, I don't hate you. I'll miss him, but it's not like this will be the first time he disappears for three years," she replied.

Cordina turned to Wolfe, and frowned at him. "While you are incredibly attractive, you seem to be a bit of an asshole. Why did you abandon this wonderful gal here for so long?" she asked him.

Wolfe grinned at her. "You think I'm attractive? Awh, that's so sweet of you, but I already have a mate."

Lura giggled. "I don't mind sharing," she told them.

Cordina giggled. "Well that's good, otherwise I was going to be jealous. You alright if we have some 'fun' while we're away?"

Lura laughed openly at her. "I don't mind in the slightest. After all, he's told me that he doesn't mind if I do."

She frowned. "When did he say that?"

Lura grinned at her. "About four hours ago, while we were eating. You made a comment about it."

Cordina blinked at her. "Oh. I forgot," she giggled.

Then she turned her attention back to Wolfe and glared at him. "Yes, you're attractive. Now why would you abandon this beautiful gal for three years?"

Wolfe turned to Lura with a frown. "She's totally hitting on me, and that don't bother you?"

She shook her head with a smile. He frowned some more. "What if I hit on her? Would that bother you?"

She shook her head again, still smiling at him. He grinned at her brightly. "I swear, you are just way to easy to love, you know that? Not many gals would be alright with things like that."

Lura frowned. "Well, if it hadn't been for last night I probably wouldn't be alright with it. But, since she joined us, I don't mind. Just her though. No random people."

Wolfe grinned at her. "Deal," he said.

Cordina glared at him some more. "Will you please answer my question?"

"Which question? You being attractive?"

She shook herself, before saying, "No! Why did you leave your mate for three years?"

"We actually weren't mates then. She wasn't even aware that she loved me. That happened recently. I went to go check out Nor when the Plague was just starting, but then I got the plague. For two years. That sucked. But, I'm cured and you can only get it once," he told her.

She blinked at him. "You had the plague? And you didn't die?"

He shook his head. "Nope!"

Cordina was impressed. "Well, I suppose that just increases your value, as you should be immune now."

He nodded. "Yeap."

"But I can still catch it, so we still need to be careful," she told him.

Again, he shook his head with a grin. "Nope! You can't get sick when you have my mark. Don't know the logic behind that though. Ask Gabe."

Lura blinked at him. "Is that why I never got sick, even though I spent a lot of time around Bertha?" she asked him. He nodded with a grin.

"Well that's a relief," Cordina told him.

They sat and talked for a while, though for the life of her she couldn't remember what about. Eventually they decided to head back to Haven. Wolfe started singing again, and Cordina joined him, though she didn't exactly know the lyrics. Wolfe didn't seem to mind, and Lura just laughed at them anyway. They began hopping around each other, and Lura actually joined them, seeming to enjoy their little game.

When they entered the city, they stopped their singing, as well as their game. They just walked and chatted, with her not remembering anything. The next thing she remembered was them sitting outside of their hut. The jolteon from yesterday was there as well, though she didn't remember his name. He actually talked to her, which surprised her.

"So how are you enjoying Haven?" he asked her.

She attempted to focus on him. "Well, it's not that bad, Mr. Jolteon, thank you for asking!" she replied.

He grinned at her. "Well I'm glad! What all have you done so far?"

She thought for a moment. Then she said, "Well, I tried ale, and now I'm drunk, we fucked last night and that's really it."

He blinked at her and frowned. "Well, that doesn't sound like a whole lot. Would you be willing to spend a day with me? Just to see more of the surroundings and what-not?" he asked her.

She blinked in confusion. "Uh, why?" she asked.

Before he could answer, Wolfe cut in. "That sounds like a great idea! I think that you should go," he told her.

She shook herself in confusion. _Err, why is he asking me this?_ "Uh, ask me when I'm sober, alright?" she told him.

The jolteon smiled at her. "Sure! Well, that was all I really wanted to ask, so I'll leave you in peace now. I'll see you around!" he said, before turning around to leave. Then he stopped and turned back to her. "Oh yeah, I don't believe that I ever introduced myself. My name is Talonko, but everyone calls me Tal. I'll talk to you tomorrow Cordina!" Then he walked away cheerfully.

She blinked after him, struggling to understand what happened. She turned to Wolfe and Lura, who were both looking at her.

"Uh, what was that about?" she asked. Lura giggled at her, as Wolfe just shook his head in amusement.

"He wants to get to know you better, silly," Lura told her.

"Why? He doesn't know me at all," she replied.

"But he obviously wants to. You're a very attractive pokemon, Cordina. I'm not surprised that he wants to get to know you," Wolfe told her.

 _Oh, it's like that,_ she thought. She frowned. "I'm not exactly looking for a relationship though… besides, chances are I'll never see him again after we leave. It might not be the best idea to get his hopes up…" she said quietly.

Wolfe shrugged nonchalantly. "Up to you. If you want my advice, I would say take happiness whenever you get the chance. It doesn't usually last very long," he said wisely, surprising Cordina. She was having trouble even thinking normally, yet he apparently doesn't have that problem.

She sighed. "I don't know. I'm having trouble thinking straight right now. I'll decide later, when I'm actually sober."

Wolfe laughed at her cheerfully. "Don't let it bother you. Just enjoy being drunk. What would you like to do? We still have a few hours till night time," he said.

Lura just shrugged while wearing a smile. Apparently she didn't care. That meant that the decision fell to Cordina. She thought for a moment. Then a thought struck her, a pretty important one at that. "Uh, Wolfe, can I talk to you privately? Just have a few questions."

He turned to look at Lura. "Are you alright with that?" he asked her. She nodded, still wearing her smile.

"I don't mind, if she wants to talk then she wants to talk. I'll just relax around here," she told him. Then she went into the hut, humming softly.

Wolfe turned back to Cordina. "So what did you want to talk about?"

She felt herself blushing slightly. "Uh, it's kind of personal…"

He shrugged. "Alright, we can walk and talk. Are you feeling more sober?"

She nodded as they started walking. "I'm sober enough to want to have this conversation, as well as feel uncomfortable talking about it."

"Well, go ahead and ask I guess," he told her.

She thought about how to phrase her question. She decided to just ask. "Alright, well it's about last night," she started.

"The mark?" he asked.

She shook her head, feeling her blush increase. _Why is this so awkward to talk about?_ She continued, saying, "No, it's about the events before it. My superiors told me to get your help, and pay any price. But, they told me to not do… that…" she trailed off.

He looked at her curiously. "Do you just not want me to talk about that? Because I won't."

She shook her head. "While that would help, it's not the main… problem per se. You see, I'm the daughter of our leader. Because of that, my body isn't really considered my own. In a few years, he plans on arranging a marriage for me, to help support his army. I don't exactly have a choice, unless I find someone myself beforehand. He won't end any relationship that I might have at the time…"

Wolfe turned to face forward. "So did you have someone in mind then?"

She sighed sadly, her memories returning. "I did, once. But he died to the plague a year ago. That's the main reason my dad hasn't arranged anything for me yet. He wants to give me time to recover."

He nodded understandingly. "I know what it's like to lose a loved one. It's not fun. But you'll be able to move on eventually. Just have faith. What exactly does this have to do with the events of last night?"

She felt her blush returning. "Well, the females on my side of the family have a history of being very… fertile. I… I was wondering what you would do if I ended up carrying your child. Obviously, you have a mate, so I was curious as to what that would mean for me."

Wolfe stopped for a moment, a shocked look on his face. "Uh… you know, I'm not really sure. Damn, I really need to think things through. Well, I'm just telling you now that there is a fair chance that you won't get pregnant by me, for reasons that I will probably tell you later. But, if you do, I'm not going to just leave you out in the cold. I'd help you care for it. But, I can see how this would be a rather large problem if you end up in an arranged marriage."

Cordina nodded sadly. She sighed again. "I… I don't really see a solution. I don't _want_ a mate. Not after him."

Wolfe was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Well, I would have to clear it with Lura, but if you wanted you can just tell people that I'm your mate. That solves pretty much all your problems really. But again, that's only if Lura is alright with it. Polygamy is fairly common anyway. People who have heard of my reputation probably wouldn't be very surprised. But I would say only use that as a last resort. If it's not brought up, let's just not mention it."

Cordina smiled at him gratefully. She had been hoping that he would offer that, but she didn't think it would be appropriate to ask. "Thank you! You have no idea how much of a relief that is," she told him. He just shrugged.

"It's no problem really. I don't care what people think of me anyway. I'll bring it up with Lura tonight. Was that all you wanted?"

She hesitated. "Well, what was that memory about earlier today?"

He shook his head with a small smile. "That's for another time," he told her with a wink. She groaned loudly.

"Fine," she said, shaking her head slightly. Then she grinned cheekily at him. "So I'm attractive, huh? Mister, you have a mate."

He laughed at her. "True. That just means I can look, I just can't touch," he said.

She flicked him with her tail, before saying, "But you did that as well."

He frowned. Then he sighed. "Damn, you're right. Well, I suppose that I should just be grateful that Lura is as wonderful as she is."

Cordina giggled. "You really love her, don't you?"

He grinned at her. "Oh, you have no idea. She's just so damn _loveable_! It's not exactly easy to gain my affection, yet she did that in like, four months of being around me. Not counting the three years I was gone."

She smiled. It was nice to see that love still existed. Maybe not for her, but definitely for some people. _Who knows, maybe I will love again._

They finished their little walk, and ended up back at Wolfe's hut. He let her enter first, though he followed almost immediately after. Lura was laying down on the bed, though she raised her head when they entered.

"Everything go good?" she asked.

They both nodded, and Cordina smiled at her. They both jumped on the bed, and Wolfe immediately went to Lura and nuzzled her cheek affectionately. Lura returned the nuzzle with a bright smile. She looked so happy that it almost broke Cordina's heart. She knew that she would never have anything like that. She couldn't. She didn't even know if she could make someone else like that, and here was Wolfe, making her smile just by being around her. She smiled sadly.

She watched as they curled up to sleep with eachother. She wished she had someone she could do that with. She sighed sadly, before curling on her side of the bed, away from the couple. She closed her eyes and prepared herself for sleep. Before she did, she heard Wolfe speak to her.

"And what exactly are you doing over there? You can help keep me warm, I have trouble with that you know," he told her. She raised her head to look at him curiously. He gestured for her to lay down next to Lura. She smiled at him as she got to her feet and padded over. As she laid down, pressing her side against Lura and Wolfe, she felt Wolfe wrap his tail around the two of them. She and Lura both let out a happy murr. As she fell asleep, she thought she heard a voice in her head.

' _You two remind me of Luna so much. Yet, you're so different. It's strange, for two people to be so different, yet so similar at the same time.'_

* * *

 **Well alright! Chapter 9 is done! What do you all think of Cordina? And so far, who is your favorite character? Who's your least favorite character? Who do you want to see more of? Also, any guesses as to what I have planned for Cordina? Or Tal? Also, do you guys have any idea what it's like to have a bullet fly right by your head? Firstly, sounds weird as fuck. Secondly, it scares the shit out of you. Negligent discharge for the win, almost had some asshole shoot me in the back of the head while I was at boot. Not much freaks me out, but that did. Had some choice words for him afterwards. One of my Drill Sergeants threw his ass to the ground so fast, you would of thought that it was going out of style. He didn't graduate basic. And I got yelled at for breaking some kids nose. Strange, right? Meh, whatever. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! See you all next chapter!**

 **-Aurumn**


	11. Chapter 10: Sorrow's Eve

**A/N: Hey all, Aurumn again. Hope you all enjoy this chapter! More Wolfe history in it.**

 **IMPORTANT: It doesn't offend me if people find my Army anecdotes funny. That's literally the only reason I include them. They're funny now, but at the time they fucking sucked. Also, I have a slow burning fuse to get angry, but when it's burnt out, I'm a fucking demon. If my Drill Sergeant hadn't stood on me after throwing ME to the ground as well, I probably would have done more than break that kids nose. And I do mean stood. After he almost shot me, a Drill Sergeant threw him to the ground and yells at him. Then Drill Sergeant gets up and glares at him. Then I go up to him and punch the kid. Then the Drill Sergeant threw me to the ground and stood on top of me, though he didn't yell at me. Those guys are fucking** _ **strong!**_ **I almost got an Article 15 for that, which is the Army's way of slapping your nose and saying "Bad." Another rather amusing event was during our grenade course. We were practicing throwing them using dummy 'nades, which were hollowed out grenades, with a blasting cap in them. Acts the same as a grenade, but without the big "boom" and shrapnel. Anyway, we were going through the routine of arming and throwing the grenade. Sweep, twist, pull, aim, throw, then take a knee. Sweep off the safety clip, twist the ring, then pull the ring. 'Nade is armed. Then aim, throw, and fall to a knee so you're out of blasts danger zone. At first, we were told NOT to actually do the actions, just mime them. Dipshit behind me doesn't listen. I hear the word "Shit," from behind me, then feel something hit my helmet. I react and dive forward, just because it is a mild explosive in the 'nade and I don't feel like having something explode at my feet. Picture a beefed-up firecracker in a metal ball. Anycase, I heard a 'pop' behind me, followed by the sound of dipshit being thrown to the ground by the instructors. Seriously, how the hell do you manage that? I wasn't even directly in front of him, our rows were staggered. So, he was back and to my right. And he hit me. In the back of the head. With a fucking grenade. Like, how would you even react to that in a real situation? Throwing a grenade and accidentally hit a friendly in the back of the head. "Oh, well shit man, I just threw my live grenade at you. You might want to get out of there." Yeah, no. That's how you get your battle buddy killed. Believe it or not, I actually got applauded by my Drill Sergeants for my reaction time. Meant fewer work shifts for me. And dipshit got extra work shifts. Alright, anecdote over.**

 **That said, on with the chapter! OVER ONE-THOUSAND VIEWS! BIG MILESTONE! Like, huge and all that shit. Let's not talk about how many visitors I've had though. All that says to me is that my story has decent reread-ability. On with the story!**

* * *

 **[POV: Aurumn Wolfe, 1 Year Before Enlistment]**

 _ **{Who cares what the future may hold. Only you and those that follow will be around to see it.}**_

 _ **[That means that I care. Me and those that follow me.]**_

Aurumn groaned as he set the bar on its rack after he had completed his reps. He sat up and turned around to see how much weight was on it, and sighed in disappointment. 245 lbs. It was only five more pounds than last month. _I should be better,_ he thought.

"Damn Aurumn, that's impressive! How the hell can you bench that much and not look disgustingly muscular?" his friend David asked. David was a skinny, nerdy looking kid, and he had been Aurumn's best friend since he got adopted. He was the smartest kid in the school, at least in Aurumn's opinion. Bad thing about that was that he got picked on a lot. That's where Aurumn came in.

He groaned in annoyance. "I should be able to do better than that! Hell, I'm 16 years old, I should be able to improve faster!" he complained.

David patted his shoulder in encouragement. "Hey, don't think of it like that. Many guys would kill to be able to do that amount."

He glared at him. "Dave, most guys don't have a reason to improve."

His friend frowned at him. "You still intend to enlist? Dude, my brother enlisted and he couldn't bench that amount. Probably still can't. Count your blessings man, you have the school record for a 5k run, the school record for the 200-meter dash, and the school record for mile time trials. And you're not even built like a runner! You can also bench 245 easily, and no one, and I do mean _no one_ , can match you in core strength. You can plank for so long it's ridiculous, and don't even get me started on your sit-ups. You're a diamond in the rough my friend. I wish you'd realize that. The military will love you. Not to mention that you're the best shot I've ever seen or heard about. At 16. Count your blessings bro."

Aurumn shook his head with a sigh. "I'll count them when I receive them. All of that was gained from hard work and dedication. Hell, just look at my sperm donor. He's skinny and weak as fuck. My adopted father could easily beat his ass, and he isn't exactly fit."

David groaned. "Ugh, come on man! You're a fucking stud! And you wonder why every girl is in love with you. And some of the guys as well."

Aurumn laughed. "Yeah, fuck that. Fall in lust, not in love. Lust is easy to deal with. Love? Now that's some scary shit right there."

David glared at him. "Tell that to Morgan. You tried that lust thing with her, now she's head over heels in love with you."

Aurumn shrugged. "Not my problem. She knew the situation before we even started. Besides, we're way too young to be in love. Still in high school."

His friend glared at him, and smacked him lightly. "We're also not supposed to be fucking people, but that doesn't stop you."

Aurumn shrugged. "Hey, what people don't know won't hurt them. Shit's fun."

David sighed. "You're an asshole man."

He laughed. "I know, but I'm a generous asshole."

They shared a laugh, before they wiped down the equipment that they used and left the school gym. They started shoving each other and giggling. Then David tripped, looking like he would land face first into the tile. Right before he reached it, he suddenly stopped moving. He held his breath for a moment, before he felt strong hands pulling him back on his feet. He looked over at his friend who was grinning at him.

"Watch your step man, don't want another broken set of glasses," Aurumn told him with a laugh. David nodded, and smiled back at him.

They exited the school and started walking towards their houses. Luckily, they lived right across from each other, so they could walk to and from school with each other. Right as they reached the street, David suddenly stopped. "Shit, man! I forgot my text books! Hold on, I'll be right back," he told Aurumn, before running back into the school. Aurumn shook his head, smiling at his friend. Then he walked over to a bench placed in front of the school's main doors. He laid down on it, looking at the clouds in the sky.

He waited for 15 minutes, and David still hadn't returned. He checked his watch and groaned.

"Damnit David, what did you get your ass into this time," he muttered. He walked back into the school, heading up the stairs and towards David's locker.

 **[POV: David]**

"To bad nerd, your body guard isn't here to help you now," the senior holding him against his locker snarled at him. David glared at him.

"Why the hell do you guys insist on attempting to beat me up? You know what's going to happen. Aurumn will just kick your guys' asses again. Why don't you learn?" he asked the bully.

The senior smiled viciously, showing off a missing tooth. "Oh, don't worry about that. We have learned. That's why we brought these," he said. He and the two guys with him flipped out stiletto's, all smiling viciously. David flinched in fear.

The senior holding him against the locker laughed at him. "Don't worry little mouse, we aren't interested in you. No, we want the wolf that you hang around with. Although," he said, trailing off and moving his knife closer to David's face. "You might look better if you didn't have that nose… I think I might cut it off."

David felt the knife's tip pierce his skin lightly, drawing blood. He didn't flinch, but he started to get very scared. For Aurumn. He closed his eyes to prepare himself.

Just as the bully started to drag the knife across his skin, causing him to wince, he heard a solid sounding impact, followed by a grunt. Then he was suddenly free. Then he heard a sharp crack followed by more grunts. He opened his eyes to see… nothing. He was staring at a blank wall. He looked to his left and saw the senior on the ground, with blood pooling from his head, as well as a very welcome sight. Aurumn.

He was standing over the downed bully in a ready position, fists held in front of his face to defend against blows. He was staring at the bully's two buddies with a cold expression. David knew that he was pissed. The two remaining bullies shared a look, before staring back at Aurumn.

"Well then?" Aurumn asked in a cold voice. "Who's first?"

The knife wielding men let loose a yell, before they both rushed him, blades poised to stab him. Aurumn waited until they were close, then he suddenly dropped and rolled between them. He then leapt to his feet, now standing behind the two idiots. He slammed his fist into the back of one's skull, sending him tumbling.

The other one dodged Aurumn's next swing and lashed out with his knife. Aurumn jerked his body back to avoid it, and followed up by sweeping the knife wielding man's feet out from under him, causing him to fall. Then the one who he had first hit attempted to stab him again. Aurumn knocked his hand out of the way and punched him in the face, before striking the knife hand again. The blade flew into the air and he caught it easily.

The bully stared at him in disbelief, before he lunged at him again. Aurumn side stepped and slammed his elbow into the back of his head, sending him crashing into the ground. David heard the sound of a bone breaking and winced. The aggressor stayed down, unconscious. The final bully was now on his feet and was glaring at him. He dove towards Aurumn's feet, trying to trip him.

Aurumn jumped into the air, causing the man to miss and hit the ground right below him. Aurumn then landed on his back, resulting in another cracking sound of a bone breaking. The bully screamed in pain as his rib was snapped like a twig. Aurumn then stomped his foot down on his knife hand, breaking multiple bones in the process. The knife fell out of the man's grip, and Aurumn picked it up. He then knelt and slammed the butt of a knife into the back of the man's skull, knocking him out and silencing him. He then stood up and turned to David, his expression changing into one of worry.

"Are you alright?" he asked. David nodded dumbly. Aurumn nodded in satisfaction, before going to the first guy he had taken down. He knelt beside him and placed two fingers on his throat, looking for a pulse. Then he nodded and stepped back. He handed the knives to David, along with the one the first guy had. Then he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

He put it up to his ear and waited. Then he began speaking into it.

"I'm at the Kenneth High School. There are three students who need medical attention, two with at least one broken bone and the other with a cracked skull."

There was silence on Aurumn's part as he listened. Then he nodded.

"The one with a cracked skull does have a strong pulse, though he is unresponsive. They are all knocked out."

More silence as the operator asked a few questions.

"I did, but it was self-defense. They came at my friend with knives, stiletto's, then attacked me with them. I defended myself and knocked them out."

Silence again. Then Aurumn looked at David. "He's fine, has a cut on his face, but I got here before they could do serious damage."

There was another brief silence. Then Aurumn continued speaking.

"Aurumn Wolfe."

 **[POV: Cordina 910 BBF]**

When Cordina awoke, she immediately became aware of a gentle breathing in her ear. She blinked open her eyes and looked around her confusedly. She was wrapped in someone's tail, while cuddling with a blue shape, as well as a black one. She shook her head to try and wake herself more. Then she glanced at the sleeping shapes again and smiled. Wolfe and Lura.

Then she felt a pounding headache and doubled over, groaning as she rubbed her head with a paw. She laid back down and waited for it to die down. Unfortunately, it didn't.

"Feeling it already I see," she heard a voice say suddenly. It seemed abnormally loud. She glared at where the sound came from, and saw Wolfe staring at her with amusement in his eyes.

"Does this always happen?" she asked. He shook his head with a laugh.

"No, no it does not. Depends on how hydrated you are, as well as how prepared you are for it."

She groaned. "Why didn't you warn me?" she complained.

He laughed as he rubbed her back with his tail. For whatever reason, that action actually helped. "And ruin the surprise?" he asked her.

She smacked him with her paw. "That isn't very nice," she told him.

He grinned at her as he picked up his tails pace. She let out a blissful sigh as she felt her pain fade even more. She noticed him wince once, but then his expression returned to normal. She frowned at him.

"How long have you been up anyway?" she asked him. He shrugged.

"A few hours. Well, more like 30 minutes."

She glared at him. He shrugged. Then she heard an adorable yawn, and turned to watch as Lura woke up. She raised her head while licking her lips, and looked around and blinked confusedly. Then she caught Cordina's eye and smiled.

"Good morning!" she said cheerfully.

"Good morning," Cordina replied, already feeling happier.

"Actually, it's around noon. So morning doesn't apply," Wolfe interrupted them.

They both turned to stare at him. "What," they said in unison.

He laughed at them. "Yeah, it's the afternoon. Not morning. So, the correct greeting would be, 'Good afternoon,' and not 'Good morning,'" he said. Cordina glared at him. Then she turned back to Lura.

"As I was saying, good morning, Lura," she greeted again. Lura giggled, as Wolfe smacked his head with a paw.

"You're an evil pokemon, Cory. Now let's start our day, if I remember correctly there was a certain pokemon wanting to spend time with you," Wolfe told her. She sighed as she remembered.

"I… I don't know that I want to though…" she said, trailing off. Lura frowned at her as Wolfe groaned.

"Why not?" Lura asked.

"Well… I haven't exactly had the best of times with romance in the past. My last love interest died of the plague last year, and I guess I'm still not entirely over him," she answered.

Wolfe groaned loudly before burying his face in Lura's neck, causing her to giggle. Cordina frowned. "Is… is that bad?" she asked, slightly nervous.

"No," Lura told her, while from Wolfe she heard a muffled, "Yes!"

Cordina kept frowning. "Why is that bad?"

Wolfe raised his head from Lura's neck and frowned at her, before saying, "Because it's not good for you to dwell on something for that long. I'm not saying forget about him, but don't revolve your life over one pokemon's death. It's not healthy. I would know, I've been through that before."

Cordina frowned at him sadly. "How can I move on? He was everything to me, and then he just dies. How exactly do you cope with that?"

Wolfe snorted and looked at her with a serious expression. She saw something flash in his eyes, though she couldn't tell what. Pain, maybe? Or something else?

"Cory, you can't go through life without scars, either physical or emotional. The trick is to learn how to deal with the marks they leave behind. Some people hide them, praying that no one will notice, slowly increasing the pain they feel from them as they continue to focus their attention on them. Others ignore them, knowing they are there but also knowing they can do nothing about them, for nothing can remove a scar except time. And still, others show them off proudly. They're proud of their scars, for it means they survived through hard times. It shows the world that they are strong, that they've been through some shit but they've kept going. Right now, Cordina, you're hiding your scars, hoping people won't notice. But you're only making them worse," Wolfe told her.

Cordina went silent as she thought about what he said. "How do you deal with your scars?" she asked him eventually, as he was getting up to leave. Before he exited he turned to look at her.

"I'm one of the ones who ignore them," he told her before he walked out, leaving Lura and Cordina by themselves.

"Is he always like that?" Cory asked after a moment of silence. Lura nodded.

"Yeah, he is. When I first met him, well him as an umbreon, it was the night I moved to Forn. I was sitting outside, looking at the stars and the moon, and he comes to visit me. At first, he was very flirty and teasing. Then when I was… rude I guess, his whole tone changed. Tal had told me some stuff that he did with Tal's sister, and I just took his words to heart. So, I judged him rather harshly, and I let my words show it. He then told me off for judging him without speaking to him about it myself, just taking Tal's words. Then he went back to being flirty and charming," she told her.

Cordina blinked in surprise. "He did stuff with that jolteon's sister? Damn, he gets around a lot," she said. Lura nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, he does. He's very 'free' with himself. It's kind of unusual, but I guess I don't mind. Since we've been with each other, he hasn't done anything with other people except for that first night you got here. He's faithful," she said with a smile. Then she sighed happily. "I really am lucky that he loves me like he does. You'd think that the most dangerous mercenary in the region would be all hard and stern, but he's rarely been that way with me. He's mostly been gentle and loving."

They both stared after him for a while. Then Cordina said, "You're very lucky Lura. I hope you know that."

Lura nodded with a smile. "I tell myself that every day."

They both then stretched and yawned in unison, followed by Lura jumping off the bed and out the door, Cordina following right behind her.

When Cordina was outside, the first thing she noticed was that Wolfe was mid conversation with the jolteon, Tal, with both of them facing away from her and Lura. She grinned slightly, seeing a golden opportunity to startle the male umbreon. Payback for the hangover.

She crept towards them slowly, making sure not to make any noise. When she was a foot behind them, she lowered herself to the ground, getting ready to spring. She leaped towards him with as much force as she could, her goal being to knock him over. However, just as she left the ground, Wolfe quickly turned around and faced her with a large grin. However, it was much to late to stop. She crashed into the umbreon, sending them both tumbling.

When they came to a halt, Wolfe was standing over her, pinning her down. He grinned at her cheekily. "Now why does this position feel so familiar?" he asked, before sitting down on her. Cordina squeaked and started to blush, before she began to struggle, trying to escape. He didn't let her.

"Let me up!" she wailed. He shook his head.

"Now why would I do that? You're awfully comfy to sit on you know," he told her.

She heard Tal laughing, and Lura giggling. She turned her head to glare at them, noticing they were both smiling brightly. "Help? Please?" she asked.

They both shook their heads. "Sorry Cory, but I did say that I would share. If I were to push him off, I feel like that would be breaking my word," Lura told her with a giggle.

Tal agreed with a nod. "Besides, it looks like you're having fun," he said with a grin.

She glared at them, and looked back at Wolfe who was still grinning at her.

"Please let me up?" she begged him.

He frowned at her. "What's in it for me?" he asked.

She glared at him, blushing slightly. "What do you want?" she asked.

He looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he looked at Lura. Cory used him being distracted to try and escape. He didn't budge, and she ended up stopping, glaring at the bottom of his chin.

"What do I want, love," he asked Lura. Lura giggled.

"Oh, I don't know. A back rub?" she said.

Wolfe turned to look at her again. "What about that? Are you good with backrubs?"

She frowned at him. "I've never given a backrub to anyone, so I wouldn't be able to tell you."

He sighed in disappointment. Then he looked at the other two again. "Other ideas?"

Cory turned to look at them as well with a pleading look. "Well, she could buy you dinner," Tal said.

Wolfe looked down at her again. She just shook her head. She didn't have money. He turned back towards them. "Well, that one's out as well. Other ideas?"

Cordina suddenly growled, starting to get upset. Wolfe looked at her with a small smile. "Uh-oh, she's getting upset with me. That's a shame," he said.

That was the last straw for her. She lunged upwards and grabbed the side of his shoulder with her teeth, biting him. She felt him stiffen as a primal growl escaped him, as well as a gasp from Lura and Tal. She instantly regretted her actions, but it was far too late. She felt him press down on her chest firmly, forcing her mouth off him. She stared up in his eyes, expecting him to be furious at her. Needless to say, she was surprised by what she saw in his eyes.

He lowered his mouth towards hers and kissed her firmly, forcing her head into the ground, with pure unbridled lust in his eyes. She gasped in shock, which also let him enter her mouth with his tongue, forcefully moving it around her mouth. All she could do was stare up at him, struggling to comprehend what was happening. She felt his claws dig into her chest lightly, but it wasn't a bad pain. It was… arousing. She let out a soft sound, as Wolfe forced her into the ground even further.

Then he broke it off and placed his cheek against hers as he lowered his head to speak in her ear.

"I know what I want now," he purred seductively. Cordina just let out a little whimper, before she nodded against his head. She felt him bite her neck softly, and she let out another whimper. Then he pulled away from her, winked at her, and hopped off of her. She felt strangely cold without him touching her. She shook her head. "Wow," she said loudly. Lura giggled at her.

"So Cordina, did you want to do something today?" Tal asked her after some time had passed. She got to her feet and looked at the three. Wolfe was sitting next to Lura with his tail wrapped around her possessively, as she leaned into him. Tal was sitting a little way away from them, a slight grin on his face.

She caught Wolfe's eye as he kissed Lura's neck. He winked at her, and gave a slight nod. She looked at the jolteon, and nodded. "Sure, I think it could be fun," she told him. He grinned at her brightly.

"Great! I have the perfect plan for today, I hope you will enjoy it!" he exclaimed. Cordina gave him a small smile. He was certainly excited.

"Tal, make sure you have her back by night-time. If you'd like, you can join us," Wolfe told him.

Cory snapped her head back towards him, shocked that he would offer something like that without clearing it with her or Lura. Tal raised an eyebrow, before he shrugged. "Sure, I guess," he told him. Cordina glared at Wolfe.

' _Relax, if you don't want him to you don't have to. I asked Lura, she was fine with it, on the condition that I invited Ellis again. So, calm down and enjoy your day. You'll have a long night, believe me,'_ she heard in her head. She nodded, though she looked at him curiously.

' _Why did you want him to join us?'_ she asked him.

' _I feel bad for him. He fell in love with me after a one night stand, and fell in love with Lura after spending a bit of time with her. So, this is our way of apologizing.'_

She nodded again, slightly nervous for the night. She knew he wouldn't be gentle, not after that. As she walked away, with Tal guiding her, she could feel Wolfe's eyes burning in the back of her head.

 **[POV: Lura]**

"Well, that was… interesting…" Lura said sadly.

Wolfe looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?" he asked.

She turned to him and sighed. "Aurumn… you love me, right?"

His eyes widened in surprise. "Of course! Why do you even need to ask that?"

She lowered her face. "I don't know, it's just… I feel like I'm not the only one that is in your heart," she said, flicking her ears in Cordina's direction.

Wolfe put a paw under her chin, lifting her face towards him. Then he kissed her gently, causing her heart to skip a beat. When he broke away he smiled at her sadly.

"Lura, you don't need to worry about anyone stealing me from you. As for Cordina, while I won't deny that she is very attractive, you are even more attractive. I've always liked vaporeon, and with your personality? It's not even a competition, love. I love you, and only you. Besides, she reminds me too much of Luna. Especially in appearance. It took me four months of being around you, not counting the three years I was gone, for me to fall in love with you. That's the shortest amount of time that it's ever happened. It's not going to happen in three days, Lura," he told her.

She frowned at him. "What about in three years though," she whispered.

He shifted himself to look at her better. "Lura, you don't need to worry about me leaving you. I could never do that, I love you too much. All you really need to do is ask yourself if you trust me. You told me that I could only have 'fun' with you and Cordina, and no other girl without express permission. I can honestly tell you, that if you told me that you weren't alright with that, I wouldn't even touch her."

She smiled slightly at his words. She looked up at him again and kissed him, before pulling away and resting her head against his chest. "Why do you love me so much?" she asked him.

She felt him rest his head on top of hers as he began speaking.

"Well, when I first met you I wasn't in love with you immediately. You were certainly a very adorable eevee, but you seemed so young and innocent. I wanted to try and protect that, so I placed my mark on you. Then, when I saw you in Forn at the market, I didn't recognize you immediately. However, I knew you were marked, which is how I was able to stop that rhyperior from hitting you by the way, and I knew I only marked one eevee, so there was a good chance it was you. Then I stopped by to visit you that night, and I won't lie I was watching you for a long time before I spoke to you. You were just so beautiful, so peaceful looking. And then you smiled."

He stopped talking for a moment as he kissed her again. Then he continued.

"And then I spent time with you. You were so kind to everyone you met, and you were always asking me questions, always so curious. And you are _way_ to adorable when you blush. It truly is positively stunning. Which is why I went out of my way to make you blush whenever I could. I absolutely loved how you sounded whenever you spoke. And then there was when I showed you my home, and saw you looking at those paintings. I thought it was cute how Luna made you jealous. There are just so many things about you that I love, Lura. Don't ever forget that," he finished.

Lura smiled at him brightly, all doubts washed from her mind. She nuzzled into his side affectionately, enjoying their close contact. Then a thought struck her.

"Aurumn," she began. "What was in your basement?"

He blinked in confusion. "In Forn?" he asked. She nodded.

He started to laugh uncontrollably, leaving Lura speechless and confused. She started to blush in embarrassment. Finally, he got his laughter under control and breathed deeply, before answering.

"Lura, I didn't have a basement," he told her with a chuckle. Lura stared at him. Then she glared at him and swatted his rear with her tail.

"You jerk! That's been bothering me for over three years!" she exclaimed.

He started laughing again, as he brought Lura in close to his chest, and kissing the top of her head, in between her ear-fins. "Never change, love. Never," he told her with a laugh. She started to giggle again.

"I love you, Aurumn," she told him happily.

"I love you too, Lura. I always will."

Lura enjoyed the rest of her day. She spent the entire time feeling very loved, all of it because of Wolfe. They went and visited the hot springs, and then Cook's pub, just enjoying each other's company. They talked a lot, him answering any of her questions. She asked about his time as a mercenary, though she stayed away from the topic of his assassinations.

Close to night time, they both went to Pink's hut to speak with Ellis. Pink wasn't currently there, but Ellis was.

"You up for some more 'fun' tonight?" Wolfe asked him.

Ellis blinked once. Then he grinned. "Oh definitely!"

Lura giggled. "Tal is joining us this time as well," she told him. He laughed.

"Oh, now that's going to be fun!" he exclaimed.

Wolfe laughed and nodded.

Ellis decided to hang around them after that, that way no one would be waiting on anyone. Lura thought it was rather funny how this was actually something that she was alright with. While growing up, she never saw herself being as open to this as she was. It was actually quite strange, she realized, but she didn't really mind. It was fun.

Finally, night time descended, and they went back to their hut. When they got there, they found Cordina and Tal there already. Cordina was looking… nervous to say the least. Tal was looking cheerful, and Lura hoped that he and Cory had fun.

"Well, you two ready?" Wolfe asked them. They both nodded, Tal blushing a little bit.

"Well in that case, after you," Wolfe said, gesturing for them all to enter.

They all nodded, and made their way inside, first one being Ellis, who looked eager. Next was Tal, who looked happy to be included. Third was Cordina, who looked _very_ nervous as she glanced at Wolfe. Finally, Lura entered, brushing Wolfe's side as she did so. He kissed her cheek softly as she passed, causing her to smile. Then he entered, right behind her.

 _ **{Time Skip}  
**_

 **[POV: Lura]**

When Lura woke up, she immediately felt a full feeling in her lower stomach, bringing back all of last night's memories. She smiled slightly, praying to Arceus that she got pregnant. She looked over at Wolfe, and giggled when she saw that he was still tied to Cordina. It didn't surprise her in the slightest that they were the last ones going at it. She shrugged, before cuddling back into them both.

The rest of the month passed quickly for her, too quickly. They never got another chance to mate with eachother, but she wouldn't complain. She was just happy to be in his company. Tal and Cordina went on a few more outings, but they soon stopped. Tal knew that she wasn't looking for a relationship, and decided that it would hurt too much if he fell in love with her, only for her to reject him.

Soon enough, the day came when Wolfe was to leave the next day. Cordina was looking impatient to be off, although she did look sad to Lura whenever they made eye contact. Lura didn't need to ask why. The two had grown close over the month that they knew each other, not to mention that they both might soon be sporting Wolfe's eggs. It was the little things that brought pokemon together, as they say.

As they all cuddled with each other for possibly the last time in three years, Lura couldn't help but wish that there was some way that she could join them. She fell asleep to the sound of Cordina's breathing in her ear, and Wolfe's tail wrapped around her, feeling sad yet happy at the same time. She knew that it would probably be the last time that they could sleep like this for a long time.

* * *

 **HOLY SHITE! 10,000 words, longest yet! Hope that you all enjoyed! Going to tell you all now, I am aware that some people don't like Cordina, at least two people have told me so. However, she is actually very important to the plot later on in the story, along with her relationship to Wolfe and Lura. So don't hate her too much, as she isn't stealing Wolfe from Lura. If anything, she's the third wheel, which is kind of sad to say.**

 **-Aurumn**


	12. Chapter 11: Leave Taking

**A/N: The results are in, Lura will be accompanying Wolfe and Cordina. However, because of this you've doomed the people of Haven to destruction. Psych! Yeah, I bet you were all totally fooled. Yeah, I'm skilled. Something like that anyway. That said, going to say: What the actual fuck. Going steady at like 60 views a day. On the 25** **th** **, I received 128 views. On the 26** **th** **, I received 35 views. Today, the 27** **th** **, I received 233. In one day. Holy fuck. Not even joking in the slightest, thank you all for reading my story. I appreciate it! Also, going to apologize that this chapter is a little late. Work has been annoying recently, and whenever I work there's always at least one problem I have to deal with, on top of my normal shit. So yeah, I'm tired. But, I'm still writing, so we good! Anycase, I am putting a new pole on my profile for Tal's pairing. Was hoping that someone would submit a character for that role, but it's all good. Not like I don't have other ideas. I have one request for a happy leafeon atm. So be sure to check that out. That being said, on with the story! Hopefully you enjoy it, and thanks for all the support!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliates. I do, however, own my OC's and the story I've put them in.**

* * *

 **[POV: Lura 910 BBF]**

 _ **{Control your emotions, demon.}**_

 _ **[You need emotions first.]**_

When Lura woke, she felt… cold. Which was strange, as she had gone to bed with Wolfe and Cordina. She opened her eyes to look around their hut, only to find that she was alone in it. Then she heard shouting from outside. It sounded like Cordina. She got to her feet and jumped off the bed, before padding out their door.

When she exited, she saw Cordina yelling in Wolfe's face, with Gabe staring at them with a disinterested look.

"Do you realize how stupid you are being right now?!" she was saying. "Wouldn't she be safer with you, as opposed to here, away from you? If I heard about Haven and you being here, how easy do you think it would be for others to find? Once word gets out to our enemies that you are supporting the Dark Army, they'll come after her!"

"They don't know that she's my mate, Cory. She's a lot safer here than wherever we'll be. At the very least I'll sleep easier knowing that she's out of immediate reach. Gabe will be here to protect her if things go bad. She'll be safe."

"You don't know that! Between you and Gabe, who's the better fighter?" she asked.

Gabe didn't even hesitate to point at Wolfe. The male umbreon glared at him.

"Thanks for the help, partner," he growled.

"That's my point exactly! She'll be a hundred times safer with you, rather than here with anyone else!" Cory exclaimed.

Wolfe growled softly. "Why do you want her to come so bad? A month ago, you asked just for me, now you're begging for me to let her tag along. What will your Dark Army say when we show up with her tagging along?" he asked her.

Cordina glared at him. "Well, forgive me if I don't feel alright with someone leaving their mate for three years. And they won't care, after all, I am the daughter of its leader."

Wolfe glared back at her. "This isn't a good idea, Cordina. She'll be fine here, and it's not like I'm abandoning her. I'll be able to visit via Gabe, and I will be able to send letters to her through him as well."

She huffed angrily. "Now imagine how much easier it will be if she comes with us."

Wolfe continued to glare. Then he sighed and looked at his paws. "Cory, it's not that I want to leave her. I don't. Not again. But I want her to be safe. If she were to come with us, I don't know if I can guarantee both of your safeties."

Her gaze softened. "Then have Gabe come along as well. He can watch out for her while you and I are doing what you were paid for. Besides, I'm a good fighter. I'll only need your help for the tougher of opponents."

He was silent for a while. Finally, he sighed and looked up at her. Lura was shocked to see pain in his eyes. _I've never seen him have that expression,_ she thought. While it was sad, it also made her feel incredibly happy to see that he cared about her so much.

"Give me some time to think on it," he told her. Cordina nodded.

"What exactly was that argument about?" Lura asked them. Cordina jumped in surprise, before turning around to stare at her. She obviously hadn't realized that Lura had joined them. Meanwhile, Wolfe just flicked his tail in greeting, looking lost in thought.

Cordina shook herself, before answering her, saying, "Good morning, Lura! And that little argument was Wolfe here being stubborn and ignoring solid reasoning when it's presented to him. I think that you and Gabe should come with us."

Lura blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected Cordina to want that. It was strangely heart-warming. She looked at Wolfe, who was staring at his paws again. "You don't want me to come with you?" she asked him. He sighed again, before looking up at her.

"It's not that, Lura. I want you to be safe. I don't know if I can guarantee your safety if you were to join us," he told her. Lura nodded in understanding.

"Well, this has an easy solution to it. Cordina, ask me if I want to come with you," she said to them.

Cordina blinked, then grinned slightly. "Lura darling, would you want to join us on our three-year adventure? I must warn you though, it'll be slightly dangerous," she said to her in a winsome voice.

Lura giggled slightly. "Why, of course I'll tag along! It sounds like a great time!" she exclaimed. Cordina beamed at her, while Wolfe snapped his head to glare at her. Lura returned his gaze with a slight smile. "It's not your choice, love. I'm my own person. While I do appreciate your concern, you don't have to worry. Besides, you still need to train me how to fight. You've been kind of slacking in that regard," she told him.

He glared at her for a few moments longer, until he let out a snort and walked up to her. He stopped when his face was around an inch away from hers. She continued to smile at him.

Then he chuckled lightly, before he leaned forward and nuzzled her cheek with his, causing her to murr softly. "Fine, love. If you want to join us, I won't argue with it. Just promise me that you'll listen to me if I tell you to do something, alright?" he asked her.

She nodded against his cheek, before pulling away slightly and kissing him gently. "I promise," she told him when they broke off their kiss. He smiled sadly at her, before nodding again. Then he turned back towards Cordina.

"Well, looks like you win. Don't let it go to your head, as this probably won't happen often," he told her. She giggled at him.

"It doesn't have to," she told him. He sighed and shook his head.

"Alright, I need to go find Stephen and let him know that I'll be leaving shortly. Lura, we're leaving in around four hours. I recommend that you say goodbye to everyone," he said to them.

Lura nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll go find Tal and Rio. Do you want to come, Cordina?" she asked.

Cordina thought for a moment, and then she shook her head. "No, I think that I'll tag along with Aurumn. Probably be easier on some people," she replied. Lura nodded in understanding.

Then she turned to go find Tal, hoping that he wouldn't be totally upset with her for leaving as well. She guessed that he wouldn't be too pleased. She walked through all the huts and houses, some of them finally having been built. Finally, she reached Tal's and Rio's hut. Unfortunately, the Bailey's house hadn't been built yet, so they all still lived separate. She decided that she would visit Betty as well. She wished that she had brought Gabe with her. Then and idea struck her.

' _Aurumn, can you have Gabe come with me? I want to say goodbye to Betty after I speak with Tal and Rio,'_ she sent.

' _Sure thing love, he wants to talk to you anyway. Oh, and Cordina is going to be coming with him as well,'_ he replied.

' _Thanks!'_

' _Anytime, love.'_

She smiled at their short conversation as she knocked a paw against Tal's door. _I wonder what Gabe wants to speak to me about,_ she thought. Shortly after she knocked, the door opened to reveal a familiar lucario.

"Hi Rio! Is Tal here as well?" she greeted.

Rio nodded, and gestured for her to come in. She did, and saw that Tal was still sleeping, snoring gently. She went up to him and poked him with a paw, only to let out a squeak and jump as she felt a shock. Apparently, poking a sleeping electric type led to getting zapped.

Tal blearily opened his eyes, before seeing Lura with her paw in her mouth. "Morning," he greeted drowsily, before getting to his feet and stretching.

"'Morn'ng," Lura replied, voice muffled by her paw. He frowned at her.

"Why is your paw in your mouth?" he asked her confusedly.

She removed it to answer him, saying, "You shocked me when I poked you to wake you."

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed in apology. Lura giggled at him.

"Don't worry about it, it was my fault anyway. Any case, I just came to say goodbye to you and Rio. I'm going to be going with Aurumn when he and Cordina leave today," she told the two of them.

Rio nodded understandingly, before patting her head. He was obviously expecting that. Tal, however, was not.

"What! Is he out of his mind!? Why would he take you, you could get hurt!" he panicked.

"Calm down Tal. He didn't want me to go either. But, it's not either of your choices. Cordina asked me, and I am my own pokemon. We leave in about three and a half hours," she said.

"Good luck, Lura. You're smart, you should be fine. I'll watch over Tal while you're away, and don't forget to send us updates. Aurumn can write, Gabe can teleport, and I can read and write," Rio told her. She smiled at him.

"Thank you, and I will!" Lura said, as she turned to look expectantly at the jolteon, who was frowning.

He sighed, before nodding to himself. "Alright, I guess I can see that. I don't want you to go but you're right. You're your own pokemon, you don't need us to tell you what to do. Just promise that you'll look after yourself, alright?" he said to her.

She smiled at him, happy that he understood. "I promise! Alright, that's all I really wanted to say, I need to go speak to Betty now. I'll stop by before we leave, alright?"

They both nodded with sad smiles. She nuzzled them both gently, before padding out of their hut.

Once outside, she saw that Gabe and Cordina were waiting for her. The gallade was wearing an unusually large grin, and Cordina was looking at him confusedly. Lura smiled as she went up to them.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked Gabe, as they started walking towards Stephen's and Betty's hut.

"That's what I want to know as well. Why did you want me to tag along with you two?" Cory asked as well, walking next to Lura.

Gabe chuckled. "Oh, no real big reason. I just found something out about you two is all, and felt that you should be made aware of it," he told them.

They shared a look, before both glaring at the gallade. "Then tell us," they said in unison.

Gabe huffed in annoyance. "You two have no sense for the dramatic, now do you?" he asked them.

They both continued to glare at him.

He sighed again. "Fine, but you're taking all of the fun out of this for me. You two," he said, pointing at the both of them, "are pregnant."

They both stopped in their tracks, staring at him in shock. "Are you serious!" they exclaimed.

Gabe stopped as well, staring at them with a small frown. "Yes, yes you are. I had this huge revelation speech going on in my head, filled with lots of suspense and anxiousness on your part, but no. You two had to be impatient and ruin my moment. Fuck you," he told them, before walking in front of them, towards the Bailey's shack.

They exchanged glances again, jaws open in amazement.

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

' _You're going to have an interesting day, my friend,'_ Gabe sent him. Wolfe frowned.

' _What did you do?'_ he replied

' _Don't worry about it, you'll find out soon enough.'_

' _That's a real comfort partner. Should I be worried?'_

' _Depends on what you would say qualifies as worrying material.'_

' _Is anyone dead.'_

' _No.'_

' _All I need to know.'_

Wolfe let out a slight huff. Then he concentrated and turned into his human form, wearing his combat gear. He blinked his eyes a few times, before stretching. _Been a while,_ he thought. He rolled his shoulders as he continued to walk towards the meeting shack that was being used as a government center. He knocked on the door, before waiting for it to open.

He didn't have to wait long, as the door soon opened to reveal an aging man in nice dress clothes. He grinned once he saw Wolfe.

"Ah, Wolfe! We were just about to send for you!" he told him. Wolfe frowned, before shrugging.

"Is Stephen here?" he asked. The man nodded, before gesturing for him to enter.

"Right at the table," he was told.

Wolfe nodded, before entering the shack. He noticed that there was apparently a meeting taking place, as around 20 men were gathered around the table. He spotted Stephen among them, and waved at him. Stephen grinned, before shouting, "Wolfe! Come in, come in! Take a seat, we have a lot to discuss."

As soon as his name was called, everyone in the room turned their eyes towards him, all wearing faint grins. Wolfe started to feel uneasy. He made his way towards the table, stopping about three feet away. He then spread his legs and folded his hands in front of him.

"Alright, why exactly were you about to send for me?" he asked the crowd. They all nodded towards Stephen, obviously wanting him to answer. Stephen cleared his throat.

"The city of Haven has decided on its new Lord. In a surprising count, the victor of the vote was you, Aurumn Wolfe, winning by over 100 votes," he said dramatically. Immediately cheers rang out through the shack, all in tribute to Wolfe.

Wolfe, however, was less than pleased. He smacked his gauntleted hand against his head. Hard. This caused more than a few of the council members to falter in their applause. Then Wolfe dragged his hand down his face, groaning the whole time. Now everyone stopped, and looked at him in confusion.

"You do realize that I said this would happen, right?" he asked them. Then he sighed. "Whatever. No can do, sorry guys."

There was a collective gasp, before shouting broke out, with everyone trying to get the center of attention. This went on for a while, before Wolfe started to get annoyed. He growled slightly, yet still the noise continued. Finally, he had had enough.

"Shut the fuck up!" he shouted angrily. There was immediate silence as he glared at them. "No. End of discussion. I am not a Lord, I am a mercenary and an assassin. Point in fact, I came here to tell you all that I have received a new contract, and will be leaving today. I'll be gone for around three years, maybe longer depending on how things go. This is non-negotiable."

Everyone stared at him, shocked. Finally, one of the council members spoke up.

"Wolfe, are you stupid? You have the opportunity to be something greater than a pitiful mercenary. You could be a Lord for Arceus' sake! Surely that's worth more than a handful of poke. You need to stop this foolishness and grow up. You're young, so perhaps you do not see it, but you have the opportunity to do something great for these people," an elderly man said, staring at him with a pleading look. Stephen started laughing uncontrollably, although a few seconds ago he was looking startled and sad. Everyone turned to look at him.

Finally, he got his laughter under control, before breathing deeply. "Did I say something funny?" the elderly councilman asked. Stephen nodded with a grin.

"Yes, yes you did. I can guarantee that, for fact, Wolfe is the oldest man in this room right now. But, that's beside the point as I agree with you. He should stay," Stephen told them.

They all blinked at him. Then, as a group, they all shrugged and turned to look at Wolfe, who was still glaring at them.

"No. I already told you this, and I dislike having to repeat myself," he said.

"Wolfe, you are a great warrior, as your history shows, but perhaps it is time to set aside your blades for a more… diplomatic lifestyle," a different councilman told him.

He started to growl again, unnerving more than a few of them. "As I stated earlier, I dislike having to repeat myself. No," he told them again.

At this point, one of the more brash of the councilmen spoke up. "Wolfe, you are being ridiculous. You will stay here, you will become Haven's Lord, and you will not complain about it. As the council of Haven, of which you are a part of, we order you to," the younger man ordered.

Wolfe instantly snapped his glare to him. "And who's to say that I am subservient to Haven's council? Are you so sure of your supposed power that you dare order me around? Am I some servant to your council? Some lapdog to do your bidding, hmm? Don't even get your hopes up. I am beholden to no-one, and nobody has enough power over me to control me," he told them in a deceptively calm voice. Stephen let out a soft grunt. He knew that they shouldn't try to convince him anymore.

"Gentlemen, it's obvious that he isn't going to change his mind, and I for one would like to still be breathing tomorrow. So, let's all relax, and try to keep the peace. Aurumn, calm down old friend. We're not going to force you to do anything," Stephen told the group. They all nodded uncomfortably, with the younger councilmember looking nervous.

Wolfe relaxed slightly. "I would recommend that you go with the second choice. Odds are, they'll probably do a better job than I would," he said to them.

They breathed a collective sigh of relief. "That would be fair," the elderly man said again. They turned to Stephen, who looked down at the sheet with all the votes again. Then he slapped them down on the table and glared at Wolfe.

"You planned this, didn't you?" he asked him. Wolfe just grinned at him.

Stephen sighed and shook his head. "The next closest on the vote is one Stephen Bailey. Aka, me," he told them.

The group let out a collective laugh at him, all amused that he got the part. Stephen just glared at them all, before he shook his head again. "Whatever, I accept. Wolfe, I would appreciate it if you were to speak with me in a bit, after the meeting is adjourned."

Wolfe nodded with a laugh. He was fairly confident that that's what the results would be.

About an hour afterwards, Wolfe and Stephen were finally alone, as the rest of the council had dispersed to get the news out. Stephen breathed out a long sigh as he and Wolfe started walking the paths of Haven.

"Not going to lie, this isn't how I expected this day to go," Stephen told him. Wolfe chuckled.

"No, you never really do expect a leadership position, now do you? Don't worry too much though, you'll do a great job. I have faith," he replied. Stephen laughed.

"Thanks, old friend, I appreciate that."

Wolfe shrugged. "Don't mention it, you're obviously the best man for the job. You care about the people, more than I do anyway. You've got this man."

Stephen sighed, placing his thumb and index finger on his eyes. "So, are you really leaving for three years for a contract?" he asked.

Wolfe nodded. "Yeah, I am. Leaving in around two hours. That's the plan anyway."

Stephen nodded understandingly. Then he looked at Wolfe. "Take care of yourself, you hear me? Lura would be heartbroken if you didn't return."

"Lura's coming with me."

Stephen stopped and stared at him for a long moment. "You sure that's a good idea?"

Wolfe shook his head with sigh. "No, but it's her choice. I can't stop her."

Stephen nodded again. "She's a smart pokemon. She'll be fine."

"That's all that I can hope for."

Stephen and Wolfe walked around for a while, before they split ways and Wolfe headed back to his hut, knowing that Lura and Cordina were there, along with Gabe. He briefly wondered what Gabe had told her, but decided that he would be told sooner or later.

Once he was close to his hut, he closed his eyes and concentrated, before returning to his umbreon form. He shook himself as he walked, before arriving at his hut.

Lura and Cordina were sitting next to each other, whispering to each other, both looking very happy, although Cordina also looked slightly worried. Gabe was leaning against his hut, staring at his hand. Wolfe cleared his throat to let them know he was there. Gabe raised a hand in greeting, as Lura and Cory stared at him with bright eyes.

"Welcome back!" Lura greeted, as she ran up to nuzzle him. He could sense a plethora of emotions from her, the most prominent being happiness, pride and love. He smiled slightly as he returned her nuzzle.

"What's up, love? What's got you two in such a good mood?" he asked her.

She pulled away and grinned at him, before gesturing with her tail for Cordina to come closer to them. She did, although she appeared to be slightly nervous. He wondered what they had to tell him that would cause such a reaction from the two of them.

"Well… we have something we want you to know," Lura told him with a smile. He gazed at them questioningly.

Cordina took a deep breath, before steeling herself. Then she smiled at him slightly, blue eyes shining. "We're pregnant," she told him.

Wolfe immediately froze, feeling as though all the breath was knocked out of him. He felt the same emotions as he had sensed from Lura, as well as a bit of anxiety. His last child hadn't been such a great experience, as the child's mom wasn't a fan of Wolfe in the end. _Let's see, eevee gestation usually lasts for around 45 days, then they lay their egg. Then the egg continues to grow for another month outside of the body. So, figure around 15 days until they lay, and then 30 days before the egg hatches. Plenty of time,_ he thought. He blinked, before smiling at them broadly.

"That's wonderful!" he exclaimed finally.

Lura and Cordina grinned at him, before they both nuzzled him again. He just basked in their attention. While this would certainly complicate things further down the road, he knew that it would probably work out. He silently promised to himself that this time, thing's would be different. He looked at Gabe, who was grinning at him.

' _I told you, friend. You were going to have an interesting day,'_ he heard Gabe tell him in his head. He nodded in agreement, still smiling. Today hadn't turned out quite as bad as he had thought it would.

 **[POV: Lura]**

They spent a few moments in each other's company, before they decided they should head out. Lura remembered her promise to stop by Tal's hut to say goodbye again, so they headed their first. After a short goodbye, during which Tal looked very depressed while Rio was… well, Rio. Then they headed out of Haven, with Lura feeling strangely cheerful.

She smiled slightly. She was looking forward to this trip. It was her own adventure, one she had always wanted to go on. She felt that it would be a wonderful time, full of danger and excitement. She couldn't wait.

They had been walking for around an hour in relative silence, with Lura watching the trees go by, still smiling. It seemed that nothing could put her in a bad mood.

"We should go to the Dark Army's main location first," Cordina said suddenly.

Wolfe nodded. "How far away exactly is it?" he asked.

Cordina thought for a moment, before saying, "It's hard to say. It took me about a month for me to find Haven, but that was because I didn't know it's exact location. So, I would say around 20 days."

Wolfe nodded again. "Alright, that should be fine. We'll take things a little slower, just because Lura isn't as used to long distance traveling. Should be there by the end of next month."

Lura frowned. "We don't need to make special allowances for me. I'll find a way to keep up," she told them. She didn't want to be a burden.

Cordina smiled at her. "Don't worry about that, it's no problem if we take things slow. Matter of fact, it'll actually be better this way. After all, we are with egg," she told her.

Lura smiled back at her. "Alright, just please don't make special allowances just because of me."

Cordina nodded, still smiling. Then Wolfe spoke up. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot," he said.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, before turning into his human form again. Cordina looked at him questioningly. He smiled at her.

"While my pokemon form is certainly more durable than this one, I am a much better fighter like this," he told her. Cordina just shrugged.

They continued to walk for a while, with Lura still looking at the trees. Every now and then, she would see the mountains through any gaps in the trees. She always forgot that they were living in mountains.

She looked back at Wolfe. "Aurumn, can you tell me what the layout of the territories are? Like, what kind of environment do they each have?" she asked him.

He glanced at her for a second, before focusing in front of him again. "Well, where we are, which is Foria, it's mostly flat forest, although if you go more west, like we are, it turns into mountains as well. To the west of us is the ocean, and to the east is Norovia. Norovia is mostly grasslands, with a few patches of forest here and there. To our north is Darvia, which is almost completely pine forest. Personally, I like Darvia, as it is all mountainous, and it's right next to the ocean as well. To our south is more ocean, although it is much further than if we were to go west. East of Norovia is Widia, which is mostly desert. Not a huge fan of there to be honest."

"North of Darvia and Norovia is Memoria, which is mountainous in the west, but the further east you go it turns into plains. North of Widia is Taria, which is mostly wetlands. Not much is there, though you might enjoy it. South of Widia and Norovia is unclaimed territory. There's a huge mountain range there that no one has been able to traverse, though many have tried. Widia says they own it, but so does Norovia, and even Foria, as they all share a border with it. But really, no one owns it. I've actually considered exploring it, just because no one has yet. That's a pretty basic summary of our region, which is simply known as the Southern Region to other regions."

Lura blinked. Then she nodded to show that she understood. "Thank you, I think I have a basic idea now. So, where exactly is the Dark Army located?"

"Darvia," Cordina answered curtly. Lura nodded again.

They walked in silence for a while longer. Then Lura had another thought strike her.

"Aurumn, what do you want to name our kit?" she asked.

"Well, it depends on whether it's a boy or a girl. I guess it largely depends on what you want," he told her. He then looked at Cordina, who was staring at him questioningly. "Same goes for you as well."

They both nodded. Then, Cordina sighed sadly.

"What's wrong?" Wolfe asked her.

She sighed again. "Well, I'm worried about how my parents are going to react to me having a kit, namely with the man I was sent to hire. And specifically told not to have any 'fun' with. I mean, they sent me for a multitude of reasons, some of them being that I'm a good soldier, and I'm attractive. This, added to the fact that I'm an umbreon as well, made them think that I would have a higher chance of getting your cooperation with us," she told him.

He raised an eyebrow at her, before focusing ahead of him again. "Well, I'm telling you right now that I don't give a shit about appearance, so long as my price is met. Which it was. And I don't know your parents, but you said that if you were set on someone they wouldn't force you into another relationship with someone of their choosing." He turned to look at Lura. "Lura, are you alright if she tells them that she's one of my mates? She obviously isn't, but that would help her out greatly."

Lura thought about it for a moment. On one paw, she really liked Cordina. In fact, she almost considered her to be a sister. Almost. On the other paw, she didn't know if she was alright with sharing him like that. Then she realized that it wouldn't be real, it would just be to help Cordina. She smiled. "I don't mind, if it will help her out," she told them.

Cordina released a breath of relief as Gabe chuckled softly. Wolfe just smiled at her, before focusing forward again. "So, if you tell them that you fell in love with me, and that we are mates now, problem solved. Not much they can do about it then," he told Cordina.

Cordina nodded again, wearing a small smile. "Thank you, Lura. You don't know how much that helps me."

Lura just smiled at her. "It's no problem, I don't mind."

"Partner, your reputation will just get out of hand when this gets out, you know that, right?" Gabe asked Wolfe.

Wolfe shrugged. "It doesn't bother me what people think of me. I know who I am, and I know that I'm pretty free with myself. Doesn't bother me in the slightest."

Gabe groaned, and shook his head. "You know, it's not exactly a good thing to be as free with yourself as you are. That's something you should work on."

Wolfe laughed. "Friend, when you've lived as long as I have, you just stop giving a shit. Hell, I'm pretty sure I'm over 100 by now. If I'm this old and still this good looking, then I figure I should share."

Cordina let out a gasp, before staring at him, clearly shocked. "You're how old?!" she asked loudly.

He raised an eyebrow at her again. "Not sure of my exact age, the years kind of blend together. Either close to 100, at 100, or over 100. Not by much though. Does that bother you?"

"How can anyone live that long and still be attractive?!"

He chuckled at her. "Glad to see that you agree with me. Any case, I'm not exactly a normal person, now am I? After all, I can turn into a pokemon at will. That's bound to effect other things as well. Yeah, I'm old. Doesn't really affect me though."

She just stared at him, mouth slightly opened. Then she shook herself. "Alright, I'll just ignore that for now. One of these days, you'll have to tell me more about you, alright?"

"I make no promises," he said with a laugh. She glared at him.

"Excuse me, but I am carrying one of your children. I think that I deserve at least a few answers because of that," she said with a huff. He frowned.

"Fine, but not today. Probably not this week either. Or this month. Eh, how about when your egg hatches?"

She continued to glare at him. "I'm holding you to that."

He laughed at her. "You do that. Meanwhile, I would focus on a name for the kit."

"That's your job to, you know that right?"

He frowned at her again. "I didn't sign up for this," he told her.

"Yes, yes you did," she replied.

"When?"

"When you decided that you wouldn't pull out. That's like signing a contract."

He groaned loudly. Then he turned to Lura. "I suppose that goes for you to?" he asked her.

She nodded with a grin. He groaned again. "Fine, I'll think up some names. Don't blame me if they're absolute garbage though. I'm not great with names."

Lura and Cordina giggled at him, as Gabe snorted.

"So, would you prefer a boy or a girl?" Gabe asked.

Wolfe grinned at him. "Well, I mean there are two chances here. So, why not both?"

Lura and Cordina exchanged glances. "I think I would want a boy," Cordina said.

"Well, I would want a girl if I'm honest," Lura said as well.

Wolfe looked at them again. "In that case, I want a girl with you," he said, pointing at Cordina. "And a boy with you," he said, pointing at Lura.

They both glared at him as Gabe started laughing uncontrollably. "You're impossible," they said in unison.

Wolfe started to laugh as well. "I know, I know. But, you love me anyway," he said with a wink at them. They continued to glare at him, and he started to frown.

"What? It's true, ain't it?" he asked them.

They sighed and exchanged glances. Then they looked at him. "Eh, I guess," they said in unison again.

Wolfe frowned at them, as Gabe started to laugh even harder. "My friend, I don't think that you can match the two of them. Especially when they're so in sync," he told Wolfe.

Wolfe sighed. "It's not right. People shouldn't be able to double team me like that," he replied.

"You don't seem to have a problem fighting against eight to one odds, yet you complain about verbal battles when it's only two to one. I think you need to practice your retorts, my friend."

Wolfe suddenly grinned brightly. "Well, luckily we'll be spending the next three years around each other! That means I'll have lots of opportunities!" he exclaimed. Gabe groaned.

"I don't know if I can handle that," he told him. Wolfe shrugged with a grin.

"That's not my problem, now is it?"

Lura and Cordina giggled again. "Well, he seems to be better at them than you, Gabe," Cordina said cheekily.

Gabe glared at her. "No. Let's not go there. You'll only inflate his ego even more, and that's the last thing that I want."

Wolfe laughed again. "To late, friend. It's already increased, nothing can change that," he told him.

Cordina turned her gaze to him. "Do you want to bet on that?" she asked him.

He grinned at her. "Take your best shot," he told her confidently.

Five minutes later, Wolfe was very sad as Cordina trotted in front of him triumphantly. Lura giggled at their antics. _Yeah, this will be a very enjoyable journey,_ she thought with a smile.

They walked until it started to get dark. Then, Wolfe and Gabe started to set up their camp, erecting small fabric tents, in case it rained. Then they all sat around a small campfire, exchanging little quips here and there, and just enjoying each other's company. When they turned in for the night, Lura and Cordina stayed out of the tent to stargaze for a while. Then they both went into Wolfe's tent, Wolfe being in his umbreon form, and curled up next to each other by him.

The last thing that Lura felt before she drifted into unconsciousness was Wolfe wrapping his tail and body around her and Cordina. They let out a happy murr, just enjoying the safety and warmth that he provided for them.

"Goodnight, Aurumn," they told him. He chuckled as he tightened his embrace.

"Goodnight girls."

* * *

 **SWEET DIDDLY I FINISHED IT! That means that I can go to bed soon. And then get drunk again. Life's great! Anycase, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter, not going to lie, I struggled with it. Just couldn't find enough time to sit and type for any length of time. But, that doesn't matter now. I finished it! Alright, now, Lura and Cordina are pregnant. I'm leaving it to you to decide on the names, one boy and one girl. So, if you have an idea for a name, PM me. I'll pick the two that I like best. These kids will be** _ **VERY**_ **important in the future. That all said, feel free to submit an OC for me. Already had a few people talk to me about that, and I like seeing everyone's ideas. Any case, I'll see you all next chapter!**

 **-Aurumn**


	13. Chapter 12: Enter Artul

**A/N: Hey all, Aurumn here. So, introducing a new character this chapter. Special thanks to Artul for the character submission, hopefully you enjoy how I introduce him. This chapter is number 12! That's like, a dozen! Sweet! And 87,000 words! Holy crap! Either this chapter or the next chapter will break 100,000, so I'm not sure what I'll include for that. I could do another lemon, although it would be a smaller caliber of one. Meaning, probably two people. Meh, or I can reveal more information. But that's no fun. I'll decide by the time I get to that point. Also, last chapter I wrote about the Southern Region. I actually have a rough drawing of it, just to help me out in the future. Very nice. Alright, that said, enjoy the chapter! I'll see you at the end of it.**

* * *

 **[POV: Lura 910 BBF]**

 _ **{I look forward to seeing how you progress.}**_

 _ **[Look all you want, just don't interfere.]**_

Lura opened her eyes to see Cordina's face inches from hers. She smiled slightly, before cuddling into Wolfe and her again. She didn't feel like moving just yet. She closed her eyes again, and listened to her love's breathing. Then she felt Wolfe start to spasm, breathing hard.

Lura and Cordina instantly woke up fully, staring at him with concern. His face was contorted in a silent snarl, and he occasionally let out a few whimpers of pain. They shared a look, before turning back to Wolfe. Lura went up to his head and started stroking him gently with her paw, as Cordina started to nuzzle him, trying to wake him. He looked like he was in the middle of a nightmare.

Lura and Cordina continued to try to comfort him, but Lura wasn't completely sure that they were helping a whole lot. He continued his actions for around five minutes, before Gabe suddenly burst into their tent with a neutral expression. He knelt down to Wolfe's head and placed his hands on his head, before concentrating.

Almost immediately, Wolfe calmed down, although he kept breathing rather hard. Gabe sat down, breathing slightly harder. Lura and Cory looked at him questioningly.

"What was that?" Cordina asked.

Gabe started to nod slowly, before he replied, saying, "That is one of his flaws. It's not my business to talk about, so ask him when he wakes up. Which, is right now."

Even as Gabe finished speaking, Wolfe began to wake up. He groaned, before raising his head and looking around in confusion. Then his eyes fell on Lura and he frowned. Then he blinked, and realization flooded his gaze, before he grinned at her and Cordina.

"Morning Lura, Cordina," he said. Then he turned his gaze to Gabe. "And good morning Gabe."

They all stared at him, Lura and Cordina having a worried look in their eyes. He frowned at them when no one returned his greeting.

"What… what was that?" Cordina asked. Wolfe blinked in confusion.

"She means when you were sleeping, friend. You had another episode," Gabe told him.

Wolfe instantly lost all semblance of happiness, just staring at them with a neutral expression. "I see. Did I hurt anyone?" he asked.

Gabe shook his head. "They're marked, so you couldn't have hurt them."

Wolfe nodded once. "Right, spaced on that. Alright, so I'm assuming that you have questions," he said to Lura and Cordina. They both nodded at him. He shrugged.

"Alright, ask away."

Cordina frowned slightly. "What was that about? It looked like you were having a pretty bad nightmare."

Wolfe sighed softly. "Cordina, I am a complicated man with a complicated past. Because of that complicated past, I have certain… issues. That little incident you just saw is a result of those issues. I'd prefer to just leave it at that. Don't worry, I'm fine. Always have been, always will be," he told her.

Lura blinked. "How come I've never seen that before?" she asked him.

He turned his gaze on her. "Because I don't exactly get those a whole lot. That is my first… incident… for over a year."

Lura frowned as she nodded. Then she hesitated. "Will… will you be alright?"

He grinned at her. "Don't worry about me, love. I'll be fine. I've dealt with worse in my time, probably will in the future as well," he told her, before kissing her gently. She smiled into his mouth.

"Awh, now I'm feeling lonely," Cordina said with a fake pout. Lura broke away with a giggle.

"Would you like a kiss to?" she asked innocently.

Cordina nodded, still pouting. Lura giggled again, before kissing her as well. Wolfe laughed, and Gabe chuckled. Then they broke away, grinning at Wolfe.

"Now I feel like I'm not needed anymore," he told them with a grin.

Cordina grinned cheekily at him. "Well, you might have one use," she said suggestively, complete with a wink. Lura giggled again, before nodding. Wolfe frowned.

"Oh, I see how it is. Fine, be that way then," he told her, before walking out of the tent with a huff, brushing his side against Lura's and flicking Cordina's nose with his tail. She sneezed, before shaking herself. Then she grinned at Lura.

"Later?" she asked. Lura thought for a moment, then shrugged with a small smile.

"We can have some fun with each other later if you'd like," she told her. Cordina grinned again, and nodded in agreement.

They ate a quick breakfast of dried meat that Wolfe had brought in his pack, before they continued along their path, Cordina in the lead again and Wolfe in his human form. Lura kept looking at Wolfe, who seemed to be lost in thought. She wanted to try and cheer him up, but she didn't know what was wrong. She decided that she had to do something.

She padded over to him, before pawing at his leg, trying to get his attention. He just bent down and scooped her into his arms, causing her to squeak softly. She then found herself staring up at his face, as her back rested in his arms. She felt herself blush slightly, though she knew she should probably be comfortable with things like this by now.

She pawed at his cheek gently, causing him to laugh and look down at her. She stared into his beautiful grey eyes with a smile. Then she reached up and licked his nose.

"Lura, why the hell are you so damn loveable?" he asked her, still grinning.

She shrugged, smiling at him. "I don't know, I suppose because you love me?"

He chuckled at her, before kissing the top of her head. "I suppose that must be it."

Lura pouted at him, causing him to frown at her. "What?" he asked.

"You missed," she said.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Explain?"

She huffed disappointedly, before reaching up and kissing him. It was… interesting kissing him when he was a human. His lips were softer, and his mouth was a little bigger, but it certainly wasn't bad. She decided that she would kiss him more frequently, regardless of his form.

When she broke of their kiss, she gazed at him, smiling seductively. He just stared at her in shock, before he shook himself and hugged her tightly to his chest.

"Love, you probably don't want to try to seduce me when I'm a human," he told her.

"Why not?" she asked.

He laughed at her. "Because I'm bigger as a human. Not sure if that would be a good idea or not."

Lura blushed. "Oh… that might be interesting, actually," she told him.

He snorted in amusement, before looking forward. "Lura, you're in an interesting mood right now. You feeling alright?"

She frowned. "Yeah, I feel fine, just… I don't know. I feel weird. Like… I want to have 'fun'."

He started laughing at her. "Lura, the term is horny. You're horny."

She sighed sadly. She rotated in his arms so that she could look forward. She found her eyes drawn to Cordina's tail, as it was flicking left and right as she walked, in perfect rhythm with her swaying hips. She found herself wishing that she would raise her tail, even if it was just a little bit. Give her something to look at.

She heard Wolfe chuckle again. "You adorable, attractive and very naughty little vappy," he said softly.

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

He held her for a long time, exchanging idle chit chat, and just enjoying their contact. After a while, Lura started to get a little restless. Wolfe simply chuckled, kissed her once before setting her down gently. She smiled at him, before walking next to him. It was then that he felt as though he was being watched. But, when he looked around, he didn't see anything.

They continued their trek, stopping once to eat some food, before walking again. Wolfe smiled to himself. _I love the mountains,_ he thought. _The fresh air, the wonderful view, and absolutely everything about them._ He knew that if he had to ever settle down for any length of time, it would most likely be in a mountain.

He was so focused on his thoughts that he almost didn't register the insistent eeveelution pawing at his leg. He smiled, before looking down at Cordina. "Yes?" he asked.

She frowned at him. "So, you give her a ride, but not me? That's not very fair," she told him.

Wolfe laughed, before scooping her into his arms as well. "Why are you two so affectionate today?" he asked her.

She shrugged, before licking his chin. "I'm not sure, just feeling affectionate. Might have something to do with us being pregnant with your," she poked his chest with her paw, "children. Maybe we might want a little affection from the father?"

He frowned at her. "Hey now, I'm not unaffectionate. I just don't shower you with affection," he said.

She giggled at him, before pressing her paw on his chest. "Well, I suppose we can be alright with that."

He laughed at her, before rubbing her head. Then he just smiled at her. "I appreciate you two trying to cheer me up, but really. It's not needed. I'm fine, and I will be fine. Just enjoy yourselves, Arceus' knows that you'll have little time to do so in the coming days."

She nodded, and her frown disappeared from her face as she looked down at her stomach.

"I'm worried, Aurumn," she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

She hesitated. "I… I'm worried that my parents won't accept my choices. I mean, they send me on a mission to get your help, and I'll be returning with an egg of my own making. I… I worry that they might disown me."

"Cordina, you don't need to worry about such things. After all, you did get my help. Hell, if you'd like you can tell them that me getting you pregnant would be the only way to guarantee my services. And if they do disown you for whatever reason, well, you can always turn to me and Lura. But, I don't see that happening."

"But they only really need you for them to make their plans work. They paid you, they should own your loyalty for the term of your contract. By that point it might be… too late for me."

"Well, actually you gained my services. After all, I formed the contract with you, not them. I don't care who pays me, it only matters who speaks with me about the contract. Which, was you. You'll be fine."

She smiled at him gratefully, before nodding. "Alright, I suppose you can let me down now," she told him.

He laughed, before setting her down gently. Then he straightened, when he saw a dark blur cross their path. He immediately stiffened, reaching for his blades. Gabe stiffened as well. Lura and Cordina noticed his actions, both pausing and waiting, with Cordina sniffing the air.

"I don't smell anything," she told them. Wolfe shook his head.

"No, but I definitely saw something. Black, with maybe a little red, and _very_ fast," he replied.

Gabe nodded in confirmation. "I say we go check it out, could be hostile," he told Wolfe.

Wolfe thought for a moment, before nodding affirmatively. "Agreed. Lura, Cordina, stay here with Gabe. I'll go check it out. I should be back by night-time. If not, well, just keep heading towards the Dark Army. Gabe, you'll know if something happens."

Gabe nodded again. "Got it. We'll wait here. Go easy, Aurumn. It might just be a passing pokemon."

Wolfe nodded. "I know. I'll be my usual charismatic self."

With that, he started forward at a slow, quiet jog, until he reached where the blur had crossed. When he got there, he saw pawprints. He grimaced. _Eeveelution. Judging by it's speed, I'd say jolteon. But why was it black? Dirty, possibly. But I'm not buying that._

The tracks were heading towards the east, in a generally straight line. Wolfe followed the tracks, stopping every now and again to check his surroundings. After a while, he came across a bit of scuffed up dirt. _Looks like it fell down here. That's unusual, but I suppose it could have tripped. Regardless, it got back to its feet rather quickly, which seems to confirm my jolteon theory._ He continued to follow them.

Eventually, he noticed that the prints were closer together, signifying that the pokemon was slowing down. _Must be getting close to it. I wonder if this pokemon was what I felt watching me earlier. Now I'm even more curious._

He slowed his pace, keeping low to the ground so as to reduce his figures visibility. He crept forward slowly, all senses alert. He noticed a large pile of rocks, set in a clearing. It looked like a lifeless pile of rock, but Wolfe saw tufts of dark fur clinging to the bushes around it. He approached the tufts, and picked a piece out with his fingers, feeling its texture. _Yeap, jolteon. And I'm guessing it has a den around here, if all the fur and tracks are anything to go by._

He crept towards the rocks. _Most likely place for a den is a natural formation that provides some cover. Meaning, rocks would be an obvious sign for a hidden cave._ As he got nearer, he saw more tracks on the ground. This confirmed his suspicions. He quickly and quietly moved around the rocks, noticing in the process that it actually appeared to be a small hill. Perfect for a cave.

Finally, he found himself staring at the small entrance of a cave, apparently going deeper than he had originally thought. He saw many paw prints entering and exiting, as well as a seemingly fresh set of prints as well. _Looks like someone's home._

He stood upright and knocked his knife's butt against a rock, signaling his presence. He heard some scuffling, followed by the sounds of pawsteps, seemingly not in a hurry. Then, a figure stepped into the light.

It was indeed a jolteon, though definitely an unusual one. It was obviously male, judging by its body's shape. It was slightly smaller than most jolteon, though that wasn't what made him so different. No, what made it different was its eye and fur color.

Its fur was a dark grey, almost black, fading out to a dark red at its spikes, with its eyes being a crimson red color. _Interesting,_ Wolfe thought.

The two stared at each other for a moment. Finally, Wolfe spoke to him.

"Greetings. I'm going to assume that you were the one watching us earlier?"

The jolteon nodded.

 _Oh great, silent type. Well, whatever._ Wolfe raised an eyebrow at him. "It's normally correct etiquette to greet someone back when they greet you."

The jolteon blinked at him. Then he spoke in a soft voice, saying, "Hello. I am Artul."

Wolfe nodded. "Hello, Artul. Why were you watching us earlier?"

The jolteon frowned slightly. "I wasn't near you with the intention of watching you. I was practicing my running when I heard some noises. I hadn't heard or seen anyone since I arrived here, and I was curious if people were the same as where I'm from."

Wolfe blinked. "Where you are from? Where exactly did you arrive from? And why were you practicing running? All jolteon are naturally gifted in that regard."

Artul sat down, staring at Wolfe. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Wolfe raised an eyebrow again, before shrugging. Then he sat down opposite of the jolteon. "Your choice, but I wouldn't say I wouldn't believe you. After all, I've seen and experienced some weird events."

The jolteon stared at him for another moment. "You never introduced yourself," he told Wolfe after a while.

Wolfe nodded. "That is correct, as I have been assessing the situation, trying to determine if you are a threat or not."

Artul frowned. "And am I?"

Wolfe leaned back slightly. "No. But then again, few people are. I can only name one for sure that can match me in skill, and you are most definitely not him."

There was silence. Then, "Will you introduce yourself now?" Artul asked.

Wolfe shrugged again. "Name's Aurumn Wolfe, though most call me Wolfe. Call me whatever suites you, odds are I'll probably respond to it."

Artul's eyes widened in shock. "Demon One?" he breathed.

Wolfe froze, before eyeing the jolteon suspiciously. "How the hell do you know that call sign?"

The jolteon actually looked excited, which was strange. Going from the silent, calm type, to someone who almost appears to be brimming with energy. _The fuck…_

"You're Demon One! Dude, they made a movie about you! You're a fucking legend!" the jolteon exclaimed excitedly.

Wolfe blinked. "What. The. Fuck." Then he shook his head, and stared at the jolteon critically. "How the hell do you know what a movie is?" he asked.

The jolteon frowned at him. "Well… I'm not exactly from this… world, I guess."

Understanding flooded Wolfe's gaze. "Oh. You're from that Earth."

Artul nodded. "Yes, yes I am."

Wolfe nodded, breathing deeply. "Alright, now run that by me again. They made a movie about me?"

He nodded, looking excited again. "Yeah, called Demon One. Holy shit, you have no idea how great of an honor it is to meet you, in person. You were labeled as the world's deadliest soldier, with 3,126 confirmed kills. The movie was based on your life in the service, from start to death…" his voice trailed off.

Wolfe sighed. "It's 3,124, two weren't killed on site, they died later. I don't count them. And yeah, I died. That's what happens when you're in a war. As for it being an honor to meet me, why? I killed people. Lots of people. I don't think that warrants an honor."

Artul was quiet for a moment, and Wolfe was starting to fear that he had gone silent again. Then he began speaking again.

"It warrants the Medal of Honor, which you were awarded posthumously for your actions in combat. The honor isn't that you killed people. It's that you gave absolutely everything for your brothers in arms. Hell, you're the reason that I wanted to enlist. Ever since I had heard about you, I practiced my shooting and started exercising, rather vigorously I might add. I have to ask you though… during the Summer Siege, did you really accidentally shoot your foot? And then still complete the mission, taking out over 134 men?"

Wolfe snorted. "No, my asshole friend Hendricks shot me. The dipshit was checking his sidearm, and boom. Got shot before I even got off the helicopter. I just took credit so he wouldn't get into trouble. And yes, I did. Then after the siege I busted his lip for shooting me in the foot."

Artul stiffened. "Hendricks?" he asked.

Wolfe nodded. "Why? You know the name?"

He shrugged. "Sounds familiar, but not off the top of my head. Maybe during the movie."

Wolfe raised an eyebrow again. Then he shrugged. _Not my problem if he doesn't want to talk. Lord knows that I don't._ "So, what happened after my death?" he asked.

Artul looked at his paws. It was obvious that he was starting to get uncomfortable with the length of their conversation. "The war actually ended three years after your death, with your final mission being one of the crucial keys to our victory. However, lots of people were killed. The final count for both sides was 1.2 billion. For the record, you annihilated all of the enemies on your final mission, though one of them did survive till he got to the hospital, where he was declared dead two weeks later. He actually spoke English. He's the one that told the military what you did. He had a large amount of respect for you. Said he looked forward to seeing you in the afterlife when we died. Those were his last words."

Wolfe nodded slowly, breathing out deeply. "Good to know I didn't die for nothing."

Artul nodded again, though he was looking uncomfortable. Wolfe grinned at him. "I would give you an autograph, but I'm afraid I don't have a pen on me."

The jolteon snorted, but didn't say anything. Wolfe looked at the sky, noticing that he had been gone for a few hours. _Should head back then._ He looked at the jolteon again.

"Well Artul, it was a pleasure to meet you, especially considering that you're from my original world. Glad to see I'm not alone. However, I have to get back to my group. Good luck in your life here, it does get crazy. And don't enter any populated area for a while, there's a plague running about, similar to the Black Death back home. That said, I'll be seeing you." With that, he got up to leave, only to stop as he noticed that the jolteon's eyes had widened slightly when he mentioned the plague.

He sighed internally. _Yeah, I see where this shit is going. First I'll ask him why the plague bothers him so much, he'll say that it doesn't, I'll wisely guess that he died to an illness which brought him here. Then, he'll get all sad and crestfallen, and I'll feel bad, so I'll offer him a chance to tag along with us, he'll accept, blah, blah, blah. Ugh._

"Artul, would you like to come join us? I know that you are probably not used to walking as a pokemon quite yet, and that means that you'll most likely not know how to defend yourself as well. I can help you on both accounts," he told the jolteon.

Artul blinked up at him, before narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "How can you help me get used to my body better?"

Wolfe grinned, before closing his eyes and concentrating. Then he turned into his umbreon form, causing Artul's jaw to drop. Wolfe winked at him, before turning back to human.

"That's how. Any other questions?" he asked with a grin.

The jolteon just dumbly shook his head. Wolfe laughed at him. "Alright, just a few things, I know that they're attractive, but the two eeveelutions I am with are strictly off limits. No 'fun' stuff, alright?"

Artul shifted uncomfortably, before he just nodded.

"How old are you, exactly?" Wolfe asked after they were walking for a while.

"21," came the curt answer.

Wolfe let out a low whistle. "Damn, that's young. Younger than me when I died even."

Artul nodded. _Oh goody, silent again. I see how this is going to go._

' _Gabe, I'm on my way back with company. He's a similar case as me. Jolteon, though he is black and red as opposed to yellow. Warn the girls, alright? He seems to be a little shy, though I'm not sure that's the correct word for it,'_ he sent to Gabe.

' _Not surprised, gone for three hours and you just pick up some more tail to stare at,'_ came the reply.

Wolfe frowned. _'Get your mind out of the gutter. Oh, apparently I'm a war hero where I'm originally from. What do you have to say about that, hmm?'_

' _Er, atta boy? I guess? I don't know, what the hell do you want me to say.'_

' _Something appropriate.'_

' _Then I probably shouldn't say anything.'_

' _Bah.'_

 **[POV: Cordina]**

Cordina was shifting around anxiously. It had been an hour since Gabe informed them that Wolfe was returning with company. She was slightly interested in this pokemon, as apparently he was also differently colored, much like her. It also didn't help that she and Lura had plans for the night.

"Ugh, can he be any slower," she grumbled.

"I find that offensive. You try forcing your way through bushes, with a jolteon that forgets how to speak from time to time. Makes it so that I lose all will to continue and just start dragging my feet. If you weren't pregnant, I'd probably be upset with you," Wolfe answered her, abruptly stepping into view.

Cordina jumped as Lura squeaked. Gabe just waved nonchalantly, staring at his fingers as he leaned against a tree. Then Cordina shook herself and grinned at him suggestively.

"And what exactly would you do to me if I weren't pregnant?" she asked innocently, walking up to him and flicking his knee with her tail. He frowned at her.

"Not sure. Let's find out when you aren't anymore. That's in what, 10 days?"

She glared at him. "You're no fun."

He laughed at her, before bending down to pick her up, and slinging her over his shoulder. She let out a faint 'oof'.

"What was that? I'm no fun? Oh, well damn. Guess I have to hold you like this till your fun wears off on me," he told her.

"No! Put me down!" she squealed.

"No, I don't think so. Not until I introduce someone. Everyone, this is Artul. Artul, this lovely vaporeon here is Lura, my mate, this bored looking green asshole is Gabe, I suppose he's a friend, and this rather troublesome umbreon that I'm holding is Cordina, who is… you know, I'm not sure what I would describe you as," Wolfe said, as a black jolteon stepped into view, studying each of them intently.

He sat on his haunches and lifted a paw to wave at them in greeting, though he didn't say anything. Cordina frowned, before she started to struggle again, trying to escape Wolfe's grip. He just laughed at her efforts, before patting her rear gently. "There, punishment achieved. However, I think I'll hold on to you for a while longer," he told her.

She twisted and glowered at the back of his head. She contemplated biting him, but then decided against it. Last time ended… interestingly, to say the least. Instead, she started to lick and nip him gently. He chuckled at her.

"Cordina, you're doing a real poor job of getting out of my grip. Doing that will make me want to hold you longer, just so you can continue in your efforts."

She grinned. "Who's to say that I want down now? It's quite comfy up here."

He turned his head and frowned at her. She just giggled at him. "I think I should set you down now. You might get some… interesting ideas," he told her. Then he sat her down gently. She walked away from him, flicking his knee again as she did so. She headed towards Lura, who was watching them with a grin.

"Now?" she asked Lura when she got close enough.

Lura looked over at where Wolfe, Gabe and Artul were talking about something. She shrugged, before turning back to Cordina. "Sure, I'm game for now. I'll just let him know we're disappearing for a while."

The vaporeon closed her eyes and concentrated for a second. A moment later, Cordina saw Wolfe give them a thumbs up, still talking to Artul and Gabe. Then Lura opened her eyes and looked at Cordina again. "Alright, let's go!" she said excitedly.

Cory giggled, before licking her cheek affectionately. "Alright, follow me," she said.

She led Lura for a few minutes, before she stopped next to a rather large tree, where she turned to Lura with a grin

"You ready?" she asked.

 **VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

 **LEMON AHEAD: F/F/M**

 **[Third Person POV]**

Lura smiled at her lustily. "Yes, yes I am ready," she said, as seductively as she could.

Cordina grinned at her. "Good," she whispered, as she brought her muzzle close to Lura's. Lura then closed the gap that was between them, bringing Cory into a passionate kiss.

Lura found that she quite liked how the female umbreon's mouth tasted. It was just very… fresh. She wanted more. She licked her lips gently, and the umbreon opened her mouth, letting Lura explore hers with her tongue.

Lura moaned as Cordina started to suck on her tongue gently, rubbing her own tongue against it as she did so. Lura could feel herself starting to get even more wet. Then Cordina pulled away from the kiss, and gently pushed on Lura's chest. Lura went with her motions, and soon found herself laying on her back, looking down her stomach towards Cory. She smiled gently, eager for whatever the umbreon did next.

Cordina grinned broadly as she lowered her muzzle to Lura's slit, rubbing her nose against it first. She heard Lura let out a gasp, followed by a whimper, as she thrust herself towards Cory. Cory just pulled back a little bit, before touching her with her muzzle again. Lura started to whimper in need as she stared at the umbreon with pleading eyes. Cordina decided that she had teased her enough, and lapped at her folds gently, causing her to moan.

Lura moaned loud and long when she felt Cordina start actually licking her. Then she gasped again, as she felt the umbreons tongue penetrate her softly. She felt Cory start to dig her muzzle into her cunt, plunging her tongue into her as deep as she could possibly get. Lura squealed softly as she felt Cordina's tongue graze across a particular sensitive spot.

Cordina smiled as she felt a rush of fluid from Lura, and went back to the same spot, attacking it again and again with her tongue. She felt Lura's walls start to spasm against her, knowing that she was getting close. That was when Lura pushed her away gently with her hind leg. She backed away a little, wondering if Lura was having some regrets doing this with another girl.

Her doubts were washed away as Lura gestured for her to rotate. Cory grinned, knowing what it was that Lura wanted. She rotated her body so that she was standing over Lura, with her own slit positioned over Lura's mouth. She then went back to what she was doing before, pleasuring Lura. She let out a soft moan as she felt Lura start to lap at her own wetness.

They continued to pleasure each other in that position for a while, before Cory felt Lura's muscles spasm as she clenched down on her tongue. This was followed by a lot more of her fluids, pouring out of her and onto Cory's muzzle. She felt Lura start to pick up her pace a little, before she herself felt her orgasm, releasing her fluids on the sexy vaporeon beneath her. She moaned loudly into Lura.

Wolfe was heading towards where he knew Lura and Cordina went. He himself was horny, had been since he held Cordina as a human earlier. He was in umbreon form at the moment, and was hoping that he wouldn't miss all of the action. As he got closer, he heard the sounds of pokemon having sex. He grinned. _Didn't miss anything._

Lura was breathing hard, recovering from her first orgasm as she approached her second one quickly. Then she saw a dark shape out of the corner of her eye and grinned. _Aurumn,_ she thought. The male umbreon approached her face, his excitement clearly visible. He positioned himself in right by her head, before gesturing for Lura to tilt her head back. Lura grinned. She knew what he wanted.

She broke away from the sexy umbreon above her, and laid her head back, before raising her upper body slightly, mouth open and waiting. Wolfe grinned, and quickly moved forward so that his member entered her maw, stifling his moans of enjoyment, as he still wanted to surprise the other female, who was lost in pleasuring Lura.

He felt Lura's warm mouth envelope his cock slowly, before he thrust his rod down her throat, her letting out a slight squeak in the process, though it was muffled by his length. He pulled out about halfway, before thrusting into her throat again, still stifling his moans of pleasure.

Lura felt his member enter her throat and knew she wouldn't last very long. She moaned around his cock as best as she could, stroking his sides with her tongue. She felt him quiver in pleasure, and internally smiled.

Cory was thrusting her tongue in and out of Lura as fast as she could. She was slightly disappointed that Lura had stopped her own work, though she just took that as she was doing her job well. Then she felt Lura nudge her tail lightly, and guessed that she wanted to see her tailhole. She obliged her, and curled her tail over her back, showing herself off to anyone behind her. Then she felt a tongue drag itself across her anal ring, and panted softly. Her pants turned into moans as she felt Lura's tongue plunge into her puckered ring. Her tongue felt… different somehow. Stronger. She wasn't going to complain, it felt amazing.

Wolfe continued to fuck Lura's throat as he plunged his tongue into Cordina's ass, twirling it every now and again. Then he felt himself getting close, he pulled completely out of Lura with an audible 'pop'. Then he grinned as he withdrew his tongue from Cordina's asshole, before he placed a kiss on it. Then he mounted the umbreon and thrust into her ass as hard as he could.

Cordina felt a pokemon mount her and started to panic, though she couldn't for long as her world shattered into pain and pleasure as she felt a familiar cock penetrate her ass as far as it could. She screamed from all the feelings she was receiving as she turned to look at the pokemon who was so brutal in fucking her tailhole. Her scream was silenced by Wolfe as he kissed her, still thrusting into her quickly, sending a fresh wave of pain through her body.

She felt Wolfe take her tongue into his mouth, allowing her to explore it as he fucked her. She took the opportunity, anything to take her mind off of the searing pain in her tailhole. He was still as familiar as ever, and she slowly felt her pain die, except for whenever he pulled out. Him thrusting into her wasn't a problem. She felt tears fill her eyes, though she knew that it would be worth it once the pain faded.

Lura just stared in awe at the sight right above her, that being Wolfe fucking Cordina's ass. It was just… hot. She felt some fluid splash down on her, and realized that Cordina must love receiving anal if it got her this soaked. Or maybe it was the pain. Regardless, she now had something to do again, pleasuring her friend's pussy.

Wolfe moaned into Cordina's mouth. He knew that she enjoyed this, a lot more than regular sex. Just how taboo it was considered he guessed. He wasn't going to question it, he loved fucking her ass, more than he did fucking Lura's. Though no one could compete with Lura when it comes to vaginal. He growled lustily as he pounded her ass, figuring that he wouldn't last that long. He felt her walls spasm against his cock as he continued to kiss and fuck her.

Cordina then broke away for a moment, and bit his shoulder as hard as she could. Wolfe lost it, knocking her off of Lura as he continued to fuck her, with her stomach now pressed against his as she faced upwards, face lost to the sheer pleasure that she was feeling. Wolfe growled as he forced himself inside of her even more forcefully, causing her to slide along the ground. He then forced his mouth onto hers, kissing her with enough force to have her head pressed against the ground, effectively pinning her, exploring her mouth with his tongue and her asshole with his cock.

Cordina couldn't do anything as she was utterly dominated by the amazing male above her. She felt her ass clench on his cock as she came again. Then he broke their kiss and bit the side of her neck, causing her to scream his name in pleasure as she orgasmed again. She found that she couldn't concentrate at all, only being aware of the powerful male above her and his dick fucking her ass.

She twisted her head as much as she could, when he released her neck and pulled away, mouth open as he growled at her. Cordina found that she couldn't stop herself as she kissed him this time. Then she felt his large knot force her asshole apart as he tied them together. This was followed by an unusually large spurt of his seed deep inside of her, followed by more as he quickly filled her. She moaned his name into his mouth as she came again, as he still pumped his load into her.

Finally, she felt him spurt one last time, sending a shiver of pleasure throughout her body. Still they kissed, although he was less forceful about it and more… affectionate really. She just relaxed and enjoyed herself.

Lura watched them, rubbing herself furiously. As she orgasmed, she felt a glimmer of relief that he never fucked her like that. She didn't know if she could handle that. However… it was very sexy to watch.

She walked over to them and waited patiently as they kissed each other. She guessed that the drawn out kiss was Wolfe's way of apologizing for being rough. Wolfe finally broke the kiss after a while, followed by him pulling out of her ass. He stood there, panting above her, recovering his composure. He closed his eyes to try and focus.

 **LEMON END**

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

Wolfe had closed his eyes to try and focus himself, only to find Cordina's mouth on his again. Each time he pulled away from her, she would always kiss him again almost immediately afterwards. It got to the point where she would pull his face back towards hers with her paws when he went to move, only to kiss him again.

Lura giggled as she saw his expression after he tried to break away for the twenty-third time, only to end up kissing her again. He rolled his eyes at her, causing her to giggle. She walked up to him, before whispering, "Just go with it, I don't mind in the slightest. I'll head back to the camp and introduce myself to Artul."

Wolfe nodded, still kissing Cordina. He watched as Lura walked away, and felt slightly sad that they couldn't have any fun after he and Cordina did. He just went with it, feeling a lot of emotions going through the umbreon's body. One that worried him was love. Lots of it. But, he knew it would hurt her if he were to straight up tell her to stop, so he continued.

After kissing him no less than 76 times, Cordina finally stopped. "Aurumn," she said softly, unable to focus.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I love you so much. You and Lura. I wish things would work out for us three, but I know that Lura is in a special place in your heart, one I can't ever reach. I'm young, I know, but I've never had the amount of love and affection that you two give me every day, especially you, Aurumn. Not even from Marki. I think I don't know how to deal with all of this emotion, but I really don't care. I love you, Aurumn. I love you," she told him blearily, before promptly passing out.

Wolfe sighed as he placed her on his back. _Great. Just fantastic. Ugh, Wolfe you dumbass. Stop being the flirt that you are. First Lura, then Tal, and now Cordina. It's enough to make me want to scream!_ He started walking towards their campsite.

' _Lura, Gabe, we're on our way back. Lura, she told me that she loves us, but mostly me. I really need to stop being such a huge damn flirt. Just a heads up is all,'_ he sent to his mate and partner.

' _Called it!'_ he heard Lura squeal in his head, followed by Gabe chuckling. He frowned.

' _Did you guys have a bet on that?'_ he asked them.

' _Back after that first night with Cordina, I bet Gabe 50 poke that she would fall in love with you,'_ Lura told him. He groaned.

Finally, he arrived back at their camp. Artul was sleeping in his own tent, and Gabe and Lura were waiting for him outside of theirs. He frowned at her.

"Don't worry, love. It doesn't bother me in the slightest, which is slightly weird. I thought that I would have been more upset about someone else loving you, but, well I don't," Lura told him. He sighed, before nodding.

"Let's get to bed. I want to be able to travel a fair distance tomorrow, because we had to stop for Artul," he told the two of them. They both nodded in agreement.

Wolfe settled Cordina down in his tent, with Lura settling down in it nearby as well. Lura smiled at him, though he just frowned sadly. Her smile faltered, and she looked down with a sigh. Wolfe cursed to himself, before going to her and kissing her forehead. Then he laid down next to her, wrapping Lura in his tail and embrace. He felt a small glow of happiness from her, though also a bit of sadness, mainly from his reaction to Cordina's revelation.

As he fell asleep embracing Lura, leaving Cordina to the cold by herself, he felt an irrational surge of anger at the female umbreon. He tried to shove it down, but it just kept coming back up. He sighed unhappily.

 _Damnit, Aurumn._

* * *

 **Well, I didn't stay up till 7 am again, just 6:30. Sweet! Alright, lots of stuff happened in this chapter. The main one: I INTRODUCED MY FIRST OC SUBMISSION. Special thanks to Artul for the character, and I hope you all enjoy what I have planned for him. Also, rather large announcement. You should all check out WolvenRepublic's story, called** _ **I am Sin.**_ **Firstly, it shows a lot of promise for a great read, even though there are only two chapters out for it right now. Secondly, you might recognize some characters mentioned in it ;). So going to say thanks to him for being a pal, and I hope you all enjoy what is planned for these two stories.**

 **Alright, I'm leaving the poll up for a while as well. I want to give Tal the best possible chance at romance ;).**

 **Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter, they arrive at the Dark Army, as drama and other story bullshit unfurls. Now, I have received a few complaints about Cordina. So I'm asking you all again, after knowing her for a few chapters, what do you think? Anycase, I hope that you all enjoyed, and I'll see you next chapter!**

 **-Aurumn**


	14. Chapter 13: Flashes From the Past

**A/N: Hey all, it's me, Aurumn, again. So how are you all liking my story? More action will be happening in the next couple of chapters, though not in this one. Also, over 100,000 words after this chapter! Damn, it hasn't even been a month yet, and this first book is already a third way done. Wow. Good shit right there. Alright, so you guys can expect a lot of things to happen in the near future, mainly the introduction of 2** _ **VERY**_ **important characters. As well as something that will be important in later chapters. If no one figures out what the important thing will be after you read the chapter, well… I'm disappointed in you. Something is happening with Lura and Cordina, something in their tummy area. Yeah. That.**

 **Alright, I hope you all enjoy the chapter! Let me know if there are any improvements that I can make, as well as anything you would like to see in the story.**

 **Going to say another thank you to WolvenRepublic for being a great help/pal. Everybody go check his story out!**

 **Disclaimer: Aurumn does not own Pokemon or any of its affiliates. I do, however, own my OC's, unless mentioned otherwise, and the story that I've put them in.**

* * *

 **[POV: Wolfe, 910 BBF]**

 _ **{Everyone deserves a second chance, regardless of what they have done.}**_

 _ **[Yet some people don't even deserve one.]**_

Wolfe woke up feeling… empty. It was still night time, with no sign of the sun coming up yet. He heard a soft sound, followed by a clicking sound. He raised his head to look around his tent. He was still holding Lura, with her having a small smile. Then he spotted Cordina.

She was shivering uncontrollably, teeth chattering loudly. He sighed softly, before unwrapping himself from Lura. He slowly got to his feet, careful not to wake her. Then he padded over to Cordina, staring down at her.

He felt a mixture of emotions as he stood there. Sadness, followed by contempt. Finally, pity. He lowered his head, staring at the ground. _You know what the right thing to do is, demon,_ he thought to himself. He sighed again, before lowering his muzzle and kissing Cory's cheek gently. She murmured in her sleep, before waking up, having trouble to focus. She gazed at him blearily, before she smiled.

"Come on, Cordina. You're cold. Move next to Lura," he told her quietly. Cordina sleepily nodded, before attempting to get to her feet. She made it, before immediately collapsing with a soft grunt. Wolfe nodded his head. Then he moved his head under her body, heaving her onto his back. She let out a happy murr, before nuzzling his head. He then brought her over to where Lura was, a few feet away, before setting her down gently. She immediately pressed herself against Lura, smiling still, before falling asleep.

Wolfe stared at the two of them, feeling a wide range of emotions. He had trouble with his emotions on the best of days, and now, he couldn't make heads or tails of them. He shook his head quietly, before padding out of the tent and under the night sky. He went to the center of their campsite, before sitting down and looking up at the moon.

He sat there for a while, trying to figure his thoughts out. Then a familiar voice, though it had been a while since he last heard it, interrupted his silent vigil.

"Having trouble, demon?" an enchanting feminine voice asked. Wolfe nodded, without turning to look towards the voice.

"I don't know what to do, ma'am," he said.

There was a rustling sound behind him as whoever the figure was moved. "What is it that you want?" she asked.

"I don't know. You've already given me more than I could possibly have asked for. I just don't know what to do with her," he replied sadly.

He felt a soft caress down his back. "You're doing fine, Aurumn. Just look after her. Be there for her. If she ever needs a shoulder to cry on, let it be yours. Don't turn her away now."

Wolfe sighed, before lowering his head to look at his paws. He felt the contact on his back start to move slightly, stroking him. "You make it sound like I should take her as my mate," he told her.

"Is that so wrong? After all, she is pregnant with your child. Her and Lura."

"But I already have a mate. I couldn't take another, not when it might hurt her."

There was a soft laugh behind him. "My poor, lost champion. Lura is very understanding. She loves Cordina, almost as much as she loves you. And Cordina loves you both, with every fiber of her being. Why throw away a good thing, when there is a very easy solution?"

Wolfe looked at the moon again. "Is that really the best solution though?" he asked.

"And since when have you cared for the best solution. If it works, why worry over it? It's not wasting anything at all. You just have the opportunity to make two lovely ladies very happy. Why not take that chance?"

He stared at the moon, enjoying her touch. "You know, it's not often that you visit me directly. You normally wait for me to come to you."

She laughed again. "My dear demon, I will always come to you when you need me. After all, you are essentially mine. And you need me now, more than you have for a long time. Now quit trying to change the subject."

He smiled slightly. "Never can sneak one by you, can I?"

"No, no you cannot. You should really stop trying."

"I might, eventually. But for now, it's too much fun."

She laughed again. "Maybe that's why I love you so much. Now, do you understand what you need to do?"

He sighed again. "Should I really take a second mate? After my first one died, and my second is still with me? Is that really the correct course of action?"

"You worry too much, Aurumn. Have you lost your faith in me so soon? Have I ever miss guided you?"

He shook his head. "No, I would never. Not after all you have done for me. I could never doubt you."

He sensed her amusement at his words. "Then just trust in me, my champion."

They were silent for a moment. Then, "Should I love them both?" he asked her.

He felt her press her lips against the base of his tail. "That's up to you, dear Aurumn. However, I will tell you that if you do, there will be no bad repercussions."

He frowned slightly. "Perhaps I should. Could you help me with that?"

"Oh, my love, only you can choose to love someone. I can't make you fall in love with anyone. While I might be able to control much of your life, I cannot control your emotions," she said, as she started to rub a certain organ of his, gaining a soft moan from him.

"It might be wise for you not to continue that, as I don't know if I'll be able to control myself," he told her.

She pulled away, before pressing her side against his. "You know that I'd let you have your way with me whenever you want. You don't even have to ask," she breathed into his ear.

He smiled at her words. "I don't know if I could do that to you, my Lady. I respect you far too much," he said.

She laughed lightly. "Don't worry, my champion. I assure you that it will be pleasurable for us both. How about I let you do as you wish with my body when next we meet? Does that sound good?"

He nodded with a faint smile. They were silent for a while, sharing in each other's company. Then he asked her, "Are you the one who brought Artul here?"

He felt her lips press against the side of his neck. "No, he is another's charge. You are my only worry."

"How much is he like me?"

She kissed his neck again. "Only time will tell, my demon. You'll find out as you go. He's with you for the long run, however. Much as me, Lura and Cordina are, though perhaps not as intimate."

He nodded again. "I guess. Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate you helping me."

He felt her face rub against his neck as she nuzzled him. "I'll always be there for you, Aurumn. Always."

He smiled. "You don't know how much that means to me, my Lady," he said, as he gazed at the moon. Then he closed his eyes.

He felt her move around him, before she came to a halt in front of him. Then he felt her soft lips press against his. He kissed her back tenderly, loving her touch. They stood like that for a long time, enjoying each other's company and affection. He never opened his eyes.

Finally, she broke their contact. "I'll be seeing you around, my champion."

He smiled, eyes still closed. "I look forward to your next visit, my Lady," he told her.

He felt her kiss him once more, before she disappeared. He opened his eyes, staring at where she had been. Then he looked towards the moon once more, before grinning and going back into his tent. He saw Lura and Cordina sleeping with each other peacefully. He padded up to them, before laying down and wrapping his tail and body around them.

They let out happy murrs, snuggling into him. He stroked their heads softly with his paws, before kissing them between their ears. Then he laid his head down and closed his eyes.

 **[POV: Cordina]**

Cordina felt the sensation of moving. She blinked open her eyes, before looking around her confusedly. She saw trees moving past her, as though she were walking. _What…_ she thought. Then she felt a pressure on her back, and realized that she was being carried.

She turned her gaze upwards to see Wolfe's human face. He had a neutral expression and seemed to be lost in thought. She blushed as she remembered what she had told him the night before, after their little 'fun' session. She covered her face with her paws and groaned in embarrassment. Wolfe looked down at her.

"Why good morning!" he told her cheerfully.

She peeked out from around one of her paws to look at him. "Er, yeah… good morning," she mumbled. _How can he be so normal after what I told him?_

He smiled at her slightly, before focusing ahead of him. "Don't feel awkward about what you told me last night. Lura doesn't care, neither do I. You can't help how you feel, and I tend to be a little… free," he said.

Cordina started to smile slightly. "Uhm… do… do you feel the same?" she asked him cautiously.

He went quiet for a moment. Then he sighed, and looked down at her. "I don't know, Cory. I can't tell if I love you or I lust for you. So, I just don't know. Lura loves you, though."

She flinched, smile disappearing. "Well, I guess that's not a no…" she said sadly.

He stroked her gently. "No, it's not a no. I just need to figure something's out."

She nodded, still feeling slightly sad. But, it's better than she had originally expected. At least Lura definitely loves her.

She looked around her, noticing that Wolfe was behind everyone. Gabe was leading, with Lura next to him, talking about something. Artul was in the middle of the group, head down as he looked lost in thought.

She took a moment to study the dark jolteon. He was certainly a very unusual pokemon. She had differently colored rings and eyes than most umbreon, such as Wolfe, but she still kept the basic color scheme. Artul, however, didn't. _Interesting._

Wolfe carried her for the majority of the day, mostly because when she first asked to be set down her legs gave out immediately. They were mostly silent, though they did exchange a few words here and there.

When they stopped for the night, Cordina was feeling stronger, but she chose to still sit close to Wolfe, who had become an umbreon again. He sat next to her and Lura, staring into the fire, lost in thought. Cordina found herself wondering what he was thinking about, but felt that it was probably about her. She sighed unhappily.

"Hey, Demon. How do you turn into a human?" Artul asked randomly.

Wolfe shook his head and focused on the jolteon. "Well, I just concentrate and picture myself turning into my human form. After that it's just applying a bit of dark energy, and poof. Human."

Artul frowned slightly. "Dark energy?"

Wolfe nodded. "Yeah. I'm a dark type, so that's the energy that I have. You would have electric."

The jolteon looked thoughtful for a moment. "I suppose that I'll try that at some point."

Cordina blinked at him. "Why would you be able to transform?" she asked him curiously.

He looked at her intently for a moment, before shrugging. Then he laid down and placed his head on his paws, and closing his eyes. Cordina snorted softly, and he flicked an ear.

She turned to Wolfe, who was lost in thought again. "Demon?" she asked.

He looked at her with a small smile. "I am a demon, aren't I?"

She frowned. "Well, I don't know that I would say that. You're fairly kind."

He laughed. "Cory dear, you've never seen me when I fight, or even when I'm upset. Trust me, I'm a demon. I just have a lot of patience with pretty girls," he told her with a wink. She felt herself blush again. Lura giggled.

"I've only seen him fight twice, though the first time probably didn't count as it wasn't a serious fight. That was when I first met him as an umbreon, actually. Three years ago already," Lura told her.

She thought for a moment. "I suppose that I'm the youngest one here, so I probably don't know about you as much as some others… but I'll continue to believe that you are a good person until proven otherwise."

Wolfe laughed at her again. "Alright, Cory. You do that. If you still feel the same way after three years of knowing me, then let me know."

After a bit more conversation, they decided that they should go to bed. As she fell asleep in Wolfe's embrace, Cordina couldn't help but feel jealous of Lura. But she pushed that away. After all, she loved Lura to.

The following days were very similar. Wake up, eat, walk for a few hours, eat, walk some more. Cordina felt her lower stomach tighten as the days went by, and knew that she was getting closer to the day when she would lay. She noticed a slight bulge as well, with Lura having one in the same place. When she compared them, she noticed that hers was slightly larger than Lura's. She hoped this meant that she would have a larger egg, as that normally signified a male.

She spent a lot of her time leading the group towards their destination. However, as the days went by, she found that she was having trouble keeping their pace. More and more often Wolfe had to carry Lura and her. Finally, she just couldn't find the energy to go any further.

"Wolfe, we need to stop for a while," she told him around two weeks after they left Haven. He was carrying Lura at the time, and she nodded in agreement, looking tired.

Wolfe looked at them worriedly. "Getting close?" he asked.

They both nodded with a slight smile. Wolfe smiled back at them.

"Well, alright then. I'll set up the tents in a more… permanent… way," he told them. Then he turned behind him. "Gabe, Artul, we're going to be setting up here for a while. We need to collect a lot fire wood."

Gabe and Artul shared a look, before turning back to Wolfe and nodding. "Got it, we'll get on that right away," Gabe told him. Artul nodded in agreement.

They disappeared to gather what wood they could, as Wolfe started erecting their tents. He took his time in setting them, making sure that absolutely everything was secure. As he did that, Lura and Cordina rested next to each other, watching him. Cordina felt a small glow of happiness that he cared about them as much as he did.

Three hours later, everything was set up, with Gabe and Artul gathering enough wood to last them for a few weeks. After Wolfe had set down some blankets he had apparently brought with him, Lura and Cordina entered their tent.

 **[POV: Artul]**

He watched as Wolfe was pacing around the clearing. He still couldn't believe that he had met his childhood hero, even if it had happened after his death. He had never even hoped that he would get this opportunity. Yet here he was, watching him worry over two pokemon who had asked to be alone for a while.

Artul closed his eyes, and pictured how he had looked as a human. He then pictured himself turning into the human from his current jolteon form. He tried to find that feeling that he got whenever he accidentally made a spark. The sense of something sharp and hot, yet incredibly comforting at the same time.

He felt it, and then tried to apply it to the image he had in his head. He felt a fierce, energizing feeling surrounding him and smiled. Then he released the energy, only to hear a grunt. He didn't feel anything else after that, nor did he hear anything. He opened his eyes in disappointment.

He looked at Wolfe again, expecting to see him still pacing. Instead, he was greeted to the sight of an angry umbreon glaring at him a few feet away, frozen mid step. Wolfe's eyes screamed murder as he glared at Artul. The jolteon shifted uncomfortably.

"Er… why are you looking at me like that?" he asked nervously. The umbreon grunted. Artul blinked. Then his eyes widened in shock. "Are you paralyzed?" he asked.

The umbreon just grunted again, still glaring at him. A moment later Gabe appeared out of his tent, wearing a large grin.

"He wants me to tell you that yes, he is paralyzed. And yes, you paralyzed him. He also wants me to ask if you're straight," the gallade informed him.

Artul shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, I don't know why he needs to know that," he said nervously.

Gabe snorted in amusement. "Because if you aren't he's going to fuck you as repayment."

The jolteon's eyes widened in surprise. "I'm straight!" he exclaimed, blushing slightly.

Wolfe grunted again, followed by Gabe chuckling. "Well, I'm not going to repeat exactly what he said, but basically you owe him. Why did you paralyze him anyway?" Gabe asked.

Artul blushed. "I didn't exactly mean to. I was trying to turn into a human, when I guess I just shocked him," he replied. "And, uh, is he… gay?"

Gabe started laughing loudly, so hard that he actually had to sit down. Finally, he got control over his laughter, before wiping his eyes clear of tears.

"Artul, he is about to have two eevee kits running around him. How can he be gay? No, he's bi," he told the jolteon, still chuckling.

Artul shifted uncomfortably, looking at his paws in embarrassment.

"As..sho..le," he heard Wolfe grunt out.

Gabe started laughing uncontrollably again.

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

After he had gotten control over his body again, he had immediately gone up to Artul and whacked his head, sending the smaller jolteon to the ground.

"Fuck you," he told him, ignoring Gabe's laughter.

Then they heard loud grunts coming from his tent, where Lura and Cordina were currently resting. Wolfe snapped his head towards the tent with widened eyes. Then he snapped his head towards Gabe, who had his eyes close.

Then the gallade grinned and opened his eyes, before making eye contact with Wolfe. He nodded, still grinning. Wolfe felt his heart rate increase. He wanted to rush into the tent as quickly as possible, but he knew that he should give the girls time to recover their composure. Gabe nodded in approval.

He waited for 15 minutes, before making his way to the tent, and through the flap. Inside he was greeted to a rather special sight, one he knew he would remember for the rest of his life,

Sitting across from each other, in the middle of the tent, were two rather pretty eeveelutions, one vaporeon and one umbreon. They were gazing down at their paws with large smile on their faces, and it didn't take Wolfe longer than a moment to understand why. For there, wrapped in the blankets, were two eggs.

They were about the size of a chicken egg from his old world, though he knew they would grow as time went on. The tops of the eggs were banded in a slightly jagged, brown pattern, with the center portion being a light cream color. He couldn't see the bottom of them, but he knew they would be the same as the top. The one closest to Cordina was slightly larger than the one at Lura's paws.

Wolfe smiled at the two of them, as they turned to look towards him, still smiling themselves. They both got to their feet and ran up to him, before nuzzling him extatically, murring happily the whole time. He returned their affections, feeling a surprising amount of love for both of them, even Cordina. He decided then that he would do whatever he could to make the two of them happy, for however long they lived.

 _I suppose that's the best I can do for now, now isn't it,_ he thought.

He spent the rest of that day, and the next just being around Lura and Cordina and their eggs. Gabe confirmed that the egg Lura laid was a girl, and the one that Cordina laid was a boy. They immediately asked Wolfe what their names should be. He just laughed at them and told them to wait until he actually saw them, out of their eggs. They both glared at him, and he just laughed.

The third day after they were laid, Wolfe built little harnesses out of animal hide that he had got from hunting. He made them so that they could be adjusted as the eggs grow. He made Lura's so that the egg would hang over her right side, and Cordina's so that the egg would lay over her left side. He thought that the symmetry with his mark would be rather pleasant.

A week after the eggs were laid, they decided that they could head out again. Lura and Cordina had an extra spring in their step, and wouldn't stop staring at each other, their eggs, or at Wolfe, smiling all the while. Each time he noticed them going through their routine, he would laugh softly.

They spent the next four days walking, taking their time. Wolfe knew that they were getting close, but he wasn't worried in the slightest about it. On the fourth day, however, they ran into someone who Wolfe had never thought he would see again.

 **[POV: Lura]**

They were walking as they had every other day, except that Lura wasn't really paying attention to her surroundings. No, she was focused on her egg and her daughter inside of it. Just thinking about it made her want to squeal with delight. Not to mention the fact that the handsome umbreon in between her and Cordina, his sides touching the two of them, was the father. She found that she just couldn't help but nuzzle him and lean into him. She knew from him being randomly pushed into her side that Cordina was doing the exact same.

 _Lily maybe,_ she thought. _Or Mavis. Or Makayla!_ She couldn't decide. _I suppose that we'll have to wait till we see them, as Aurumn suggested._

She continued to think of random names, hoping she'd find one that clicked. That was, until Wolfe suddenly halted, staring forward with a surprised look on his face. Lura frowned, before following his gaze, and gasped.

Standing in the middle of the path were two figures. One, which she could see clearly, was an umbreon, obviously male by his build. He wore a dark cloak, which had some interesting red patterns, which she found fascinating. It covered most of his body, and she could see that it also had a hood, though he wasn't using it. He was a bit shorter than Wolfe, but she remembered Wolfe telling her that his umbreon form was larger than most, so she guessed he was the normal height. Taller than her, in any case. What stood out most about him, were his rings. They weren't yellow like Wolfe's. They were a blood red color, which just made the mysterious figure even more intimidating. Just looking at him made her shiver a little bit.

The figure next to him was considerably smaller, being the average height for a normal eevee. It wore a dark cloak as well, with its hood pulled up, concealing its features. Even through the cloak Lura could tell that it was a female. She could only really make out its paws, which were a light, almost white color. It was hiding slightly behind the umbreon, as though it was uncomfortable.

Wolfe shook himself, before padding up to the two newcomers. As he approached, she noticed the other umbreon start to tense up, though he didn't do anything aggressive. Wolfe stopped when he was close, and their eyes met.

Finally, Wolfe spoke. "Sin," he greeted evenly.

The new umbreon nodded slightly. Wolfe frowned, before turning to their group. "Gabe, Artul, I want you to stay here, alright? Lura and Cordina, you can come with if you'd like. That alright with you?" he asked.

Sin nodded. Wolfe led them down the path a ways so that they might have some privacy. After walking for a while, Wolfe turned off the path and into the forest. He eventually stopped when they arrived in a small clearing. Then he turned back to Sin, wearing a large grin.

"It's good to see you again, old friend. It's been too long," he told him.

"I suppose it has, hasn't it?" Sin asked.

Wolfe nodded, still grinning. Then he eyed the smaller pokemon who was still slightly behind Sin. "And is this the one you told me about so long ago? Nova, was it?"

The eevee stepped up to Sin's side, shrugging her hood off to reveal her features. Lura noticed that she had very pretty blue eyes. She also noticed her fluffy fur collar was black. Lura thought she looked very pretty, especially for an eevee.

"So, he's spoken to you of me?" she asked Wolfe. He nodded, still smiling.

"Yes, yes he has. Though he didn't say anything about how beautiful you were," he told her with a wink.

Nova giggled at him, before saying, "Awh, well aren't you sweet! Not often that a pokemon gets good looks and manners as well, but you sir, have it all. So, since you obviously know of me, can you introduce yourself and the pretty ladies by your side?"

Wolfe laughed. "Well, my name is Aurumn Wolfe, sometimes known as Zero and others as Demon. The lovely vaporeon on my right is Lura Wolfe, my mate, and the lovely umbreon on her right is Cordina Wolfe, my other mate. I must say, it's an absolute pleasure to meet you. Anyone who can change him," he gestured at Sin, who snorted softly, "is obviously someone pretty special."

Lura widened her eyes slightly at how he described Cordina, but she didn't draw attention to it. She did notice that Cordina looked dumbfounded, staring straight in front of her with her blue rings glowing.

Nova giggled again, staring at Sin with a smile. "He just needed someone to help guide him. He gets lost easily, you know," she said. Then she shook herself and grinned back at Wolfe. "So, you're the Wolfe that he told me about a while ago. It's nice to meet you, as not many people who met him before we got together are still alive. You're lucky that he didn't kill you."

Wolfe laughed again. "Believe me, he tried. But, I'm much to loveable to die. I'll probably be around forever. Plus, it's awfully hard to hit something as good looking as me. It got to the point where I had to use a stick to get him to keep his distance. But, I can't really complain, now can I?"

Sin rolled his eyes and let out a soft huff. "Not true. If anything, _I_ had to use a stick to keep _you_ away. So damn flirty," he complained.

Wolfe pouted. "Aww, haven't seen me in like, 30 years and you still can't admit that you think I'm good looking. It's kind of cute, actually."

Lura, Cordina and Nova all giggled together as Sin huffed again. Wolfe just chuckled at him. "In all seriousness though, where have you been? Last I saw of you was outside of Meldine, then you just vanished. Heard some rumors circulating that you had been killed, but I found that highly unlikely."

Sin looked at him. "I've been traveling with Nova here. Seeing the sights, visiting old places, and just enjoying being as I am now. And you're one to talk, I heard rumors, almost a year ago, now that someone had gotten lucky with you, and stabbed you as you slept. Obviously, that didn't work out for them."

Wolfe frowned. "Yeah, it's still not fun being stabbed. Luckily the bastard cured my illness. Still didn't appreciate the scars."

Sin snorted in amusement. "Well, you might as well let your companions know who I am."

Wolfe nodded, before turning to Lura and Cordina. "Well girls, this here is Sin, or Kage Reign. He's an old friend of mine, helped me out when we first met. He's a… reformed character, if you will. He's a mercenary, much as yours truly. He actually fought under me as a part of the Mercenary Corps, even though he might be the better fighter. Emphasis on might," he told them.

Lura blinked. "Er, why Sin?" she asked.

Sin turned his gaze on her. "Reasons," he said.

She blinked again. "A-alright," she stammered. Something about him just made her feel nervous.

Wolfe shook his body, bringing attention back to himself. "So, what brings you into the Doxah Mountains?" he asked.

"Mostly just seeing the sights. I did hear some rumors of some sort of fighting force in these parts, but that's more of a secondary objective. My main goal is to spend time with my mate," Sin told him.

Cordina's ears perked as she rejoined the conversation. "You must mean the Dark Army! I'm actually a member of it! That's where we're headed right now. Aurumn has a contract with us," she said excitedly.

Interest sparked in Sin's eyes. "The Dark Army?"

Cordina nodded. "I'm actually the daughter of its leaders. We're an organization that assists others where we can, as well as try to end the common folk's prejudice towards dark types. We're mostly dark types, but not all."

Sin nodded slightly. Then he looked at Nova, who was staring at Lura's and Cordina's sides. "Nova," he said softly.

She shook herself, before squealing in delight. "Oh my Arceus, you two have had eggs?! How long ago?" she asked excitedly, bounding up towards Lura and Cordina. Sin rolled his eyes and muttered something that Lura didn't catch.

Lura giggled at the suddenly hyper eevee. "Yes, we had eggs. Not too long ago, about a week and a half."

"Boys, or girls, or both, or don't you know?" she asked, still sounding excited.

Cordina giggled at her as well. "Mine is a boy, hers is a girl. Gabe, the gallade that was with us, confirmed that for us," she told her.

Nova's eyes widened. "Awh, that's so adorable! Have you thought of names yet? And who's the father?"

Wolfe coughed slightly, and Nova turned to look at him in confusion. Then she blinked. "Oh. I suppose that was kind of obvious, wasn't it? I'm sorry, I just get really excited around babies. I suppose it might have something to do with the fact that I can't have any…" she said sadly.

Lura frowned, and opened her mouth to speak, before a voice in her head cut her off.

' _Don't, Lura. It bothers her a lot that she can't reproduce, I wouldn't recommend asking about it,'_ Wolfe sent her. She closed her mouth and nodded to show she understood.

"Well, I don't currently have any names picked out, so if you'd like you could help me," Lura offered.

Nova perked up immediately. "Sure!" she exclaimed, before sitting down and appearing to think. "Hmm… how about Lily? No! Keaira! That'd be perfect!" she said excitedly.

 _Keaira… beautiful,_ she thought. She smiled brightly. "I think that's perfect! Thank you!" she told Nova, before turning to Wolfe with a questioning look. He grinned and nodded at her.

"Keaira it is. Beautiful name for a 'definitely going to be beautiful' eevee," Wolfe told her. He nodded at Nova with a grin. "Beauty and intelligence, you've got it all Nova," he told her.

Nova winked at him and giggled, before padding back to Sin and nuzzling him furiously. Wolfe chuckled at the eevee's adorable antics.

Then he looked up at the sky. "Well, as much as I enjoy your company Sin, and I always enjoy a beautiful girl," he winked at Nova, who giggled," I think it's time for us to return to the others. You two are welcome to join us, but I'd imagine that you probably want to get to travelling."

Sin and Nova shared a look, before Sin turned back to Wolfe. "Actually, would you mind if we tagged along with you? I'm interested in this Dark Army that she spoke of," he said, gesturing to Cordina as he spoke.

Wolfe raised an eyebrow. "May I ask why?"

Sin nodded. "Yes, you may."

Wolfe waited patiently for a moment. Then he pouted. "And will you tell me?"

"Probably not."

The girls giggled in unison as Wolfe sweat dropped at the other male. "Fuck you," he told Sin.

Lura giggled again. She always enjoyed watching Wolfe interact with others. It was always so… different. But definitely enjoyable.

Wolfe led the way back towards Gabe and Artul, though he had his head down as if he was sad. Nova padded up to Lura's side as they walked.

"Is he always like that?" she asked with a smile, gesturing towards Wolfe.

Lura blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, first he was very flirty, then he was relatively serious, then he was flirty again. He even flirted with Kage," she explained.

Lura's expression cleared as she understood. She smiled back at the eevee. "Yes, he's always been like that. He flirts with a lot of people, but I don't think he means anything serious by it. Just compliments. As for him flirting with Sin, well, Wolfe 'doesn't discriminate,' as he puts it. Basically, he's bi."

Nova's eyes widened. "Oh! I understand that, I actually am as well. Though, I don't know for sure if I'll ever be with another male, except for Kage."

Lura smiled. "That's understandable, Cordina is the same way with Wolfe," she told her.

Nova looked at Lura curiously. "And you aren't that way?"

Lura blushed. "I-I'm not exactly that way no. I've already done… things… with other males. He was my first, though."

Nova nodded understandingly. "Well, that's alright."

They shared a giggle as they followed Wolfe, now joined by Sin. Lura watched his back, wondering if he was serious about what he said about Cordina.

' _Aurumn, were you serious about Cordina being another mate?'_ she sent him.

' _That's up to you two. If she wants to, I don't mind in the slightest so long as you're alright with it,'_ came his reply.

Lura hesitated. _'I… I guess I don't have a problem with it. I mean, she did have one of your kids, so that automatically raises her above friendship status. Besides, I do love her, and if you do as well, then I don't see a problem.'_

He took a while to respond. _'Lura… I don't know if I love her or not. But, we don't have to tell her that. As long as she's happy, and you're happy, then I will do almost anything.'_

Lura's eyes widened slightly. _'Alright, I still am alright with it. We know that she loves you and me, and you love me, and I love both of you. It'll work out.'_

' _I hope so, love. I really do.'_

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

A few days later, Wolfe and his group arrived at the Dark Army's entrance. As they had gotten closer, he noticed that Cordina was slowly getting more and more nervous. He knew she was worrying about how her parents would respond to her gaining a mate and a kit in the three months that she had been gone.

He pulled her aside once she said that they were close, still in his umbreon form. She stared at him timidly, obviously incredibly nervous.

"Cordina, I need you to just focus on me, alright? Everything will work out fine, believe me. I'll be right there with you, and you are my mate, got it?" he asked her.

She stared at him with wide eyes, nervousness slowly fading from her eyes to be replaced with wonder. "Does… does that mean that you love me to?" she asked, barely breathing.

He smiled at her, not hesitating to kiss her forcefully, causing her to seemingly melt into him. She smiled happily into his muzzle. When he broke off the kiss, he winked at her. "Yes, yes I do. Now don't worry. I'm with you."

She nodded, all nervousness gone at his words. He kissed her once more, before turning and leading her back towards the group. He knew he did the right thing for her, and he knew that there wouldn't be any bad repercussions.

Cordina lead the way to the Army's entrance, with Wolfe, Lura, Gabe, Artul, Sin and Nova pooling behind her, though Kage kept away from the group slightly. The entrance was seemingly a solid cliff face, dark stone everywhere, as well as some more stones piling at the base of the cliff. Wolfe noticed a rather large gap between two of the piles, and assumed that that's where the entrance was.

His suspicions were confirmed when Cordina made her way over to one of the piles, before sitting on her haunches and shouting, "Darkness will always reveal the brightest of stars!"

For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, the cliff face in front of the group started to glow a bright purple, before a section of it pushed itself outside towards them. After it came out about 12 feet, it started to slide off to the left, revealing a large entrance, as well as three pokemon.

One was a gardevoir, who's eyes were glowing purple as she moved the large door. He was impressed at her abilities, he knew that he couldn't move a door of that size. He'd been trained in physical fighting, even as a pokemon.

The second one was an absol, one who held a confident grin and carried himself with ease. He smiled in particular at Cordina.

Wolfe then turned his attention to the third figure. Immediately, he felt as though he had been punched in the gut, and then stabbed 60 times. He knew the last pokemon.

"Ma, Pa!" Cordina shouted cheerfully as she ran up to the absol and the umbreon, one who had blue rings and a beautiful smile.

 _You were dead… I saw you die… 90 years ago…_

The last pokemon, second in command of the Dark Army was none other than his first love.

Luna.

* * *

 **Aaaaand, done! First off, 100,000 WORDS! HOLY SWEET SUGAR TITS! AND MY STORY HASN'T EVEN BEEN OUT FOR A MONTH YET! Yeah, I do dat. What did you all think of the chapter? Any guesses on who the mysterious entity in the first part was? I'll give you a hint: you've been reading conversations between her and Wolfe since chapter one, provided you don't skip the** _ **{Words like this before each chapter.}**_

 **So, I know I said that I would let you guys pick the names for the 'vee kits, but I received some exciting news. I'm going to be an uncle (again) and the newest addition will be a niece, one who's first name is… dun dun dun… Keaira! So, this is my little salute to her!**

 **Alright, the other really large part is Sin and Nova. What do you all think of them? They'll be in nearly every chapter from here on out. If you want to see even more of them, go check out WolvenRepublic's story,** _ **I Am Sin.**_ **They're his characters, so a thanks to him for letting me use them. I hope you like how I wrote them.**

 **Alright, I will take submissions for the male 'vee's name, and I'll just pick which one I think would most suit them.**

 **I am still taking OC submissions, I still have a few more to go through and add to my little chart, but I'll definitely try and incorporate them! If I can't, then I'll let you know.**

 **Alright, that's it everyone! I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter, as well as my story. Let me know if there's anything that you would like to see! See ya!**

 **-Aurumn**


	15. Chapter 14: Day 1

**A/N: Hey all, it's me again. Anyone sick of me? Sick of my story? That's a shame, as I'm still here and still writing :p. Anycase, nice cliffhanger last chapter, no? Anyone see it coming? I certainly hope not. Wouldn't be very shocking otherwise. Alright, going to say that I will stop taking names for the male 'vee in about 24 hours after this chapter goes up. Can't wait forever, and all that shit lol.**

 **So, I really want to get a better Cover Image for this story. However… I'm garbage with drawing on anything electronic, like my laptop. So, I was wondering if anyone could guide me to someone who would be willing to do a commission for me? I've never even asked for someone to commission something for me, so I don't know the first place to look. Otherwise, I'll just stick to what I've got.**

 **Alright, that's all that I need to talk about. I hope you all keep enjoying my story! Let me know on any improvements that I can make! And thank you all for reading!**

* * *

 **[POV: Lura, 909 BBF]**

 _ **{You are to be my champion, my first, and last.}**_

 _ **[Provided that I am able, I have no complaint.]**_

Lura smiled as she saw Cordina run up to her parents excitedly. She always forgot how young she was, after all, she was just barely an adult in eevee terms. She also thought that it was interesting to see that her mother had the same ring color as her daughter. It was very cute, although the mother's eyes were a yellow color. She looked at Wolfe, and immediately frowned.

He was just staring at Cordina's parents, eyes wide with disbelief. She padded up to him slowly, worried for him. Just as she got to his side, he shook himself, and his expression became carefully neutral. Lura prodded his shoulder with a paw.

He turned and just smiled at her, though she thought she saw a bit of pain in his eyes. Only for a moment. She turned to look at Cordina, who was being nuzzled by the absol and umbreon. Then she blinked in shock. _Her mom looks just like Luna!_ She snapped her gaze back to Wolfe, who was lost in thought.

"Mom, dad, this is the man that you sent me to hire," Cordina told her parents. Wolfe nodded and padded up to them, wearing an easy smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he greeted.

The absol laughed, and nodded. "No demon, the pleasure is mine. I've heard many things about your exploits, and I am beyond pleased that my daughter was able to gain your services. I hope that she wasn't too much of a bother. You can call me Duke," he replied.

Wolfe nodded, still grinning. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Duke, and she's was an absolute doll," he said, before turning to Duke's mate. "And it's a pleasure to see you again, Luna."

Duke immediately frowned, as did Luna, both confused. "Er, how do you know my name? Did Cordina tell you?" she asked.

Wolfe shook his head, still smiling. "No, I just knew you from long ago," he answered.

Luna frowned, before studying him intently. Then her eyes widened and she gasped. "Aurumn!?" she asked, obviously unbelieving.

Wolfe nodded. Luna squealed and lunged, tackling him to the ground. Then she kissed him as hard as she could. Wolfe just laid there, stunned, as Cordina and Duke stared at Luna in disbelief. Lura giggled a little bit. _This time he's the one on the bottom,_ she thought gleefully.

Eventually, Duke cleared his throat. Luna and Wolfe ignored him, as he glared at Wolfe. Cordina was looking a little upset as well. Finally, they broke away with, breathing hard. Wolfe stared up at her, with some emotion in his eyes that Lura couldn't identify. Luna was staring down at him, pure joy on her face.

"How are you alive?! I thought you died a long time ago? And how are you still so young looking?" she asked him rapidly.

He blinked at her, before grinning slightly. "Well, not going to lie, I wasn't expecting you to kiss me in front of your mate and daughter, but I guess I won't complain. As for how I'm alive and still young looking, well, as your mate pointed out, I am a demon. The real question is how are _you_ alive? I saw you killed over 90 years ago. Eeveelutions don't live past 50 normally," he replied.

She frowned at him. "No, I wasn't killed. Just knocked unconscious, though I was pretty cut up. You, however, were definitely dead. I know. I buried you," she said. Then she sighed. "As for me living for as long as I have, it's due in part to my heritage. I'll tell you more about that later, though."

Wolfe frowned. "I suppose I'll accept that. As for me, well, I'll just have to keep that secret, now won't I?"

Duke growled softly. "When I asked _our_ daughter to go hire you, I was not aware that you already knew _my_ mate," he said threateningly.

Wolfe stared at him with indifference. "Trying to scare me won't work, Duke. Just ask Sin back there," he said, jerking his head in the other umbreon's direction. Sin just flicked an ear, and Wolfe continued. "And I knew Luna from way before you were born. Besides, she jumped on me. I did nothing."

Luna squeaked again. "Oops!" she exclaimed, though she didn't move. "Sorry about that, love. This is my first mate, the one I mentioned to you when we first met."

Duke growled again. "However, I think you should remember that _I_ am your mate now. Not him."

Wolfe rolled his eyes, before gesturing for Luna to get off of him. She obliged, still looking embarrassed. Wolfe made eye contact with the absol.

"Was there something that you wanted?" he asked cheekily. Duke's eyes flashed.

"Demon, you would do well to remember that I am the leader of the Dark Army. You do not get to my position by being _inferior_. Also, you should note that I am the one that hired you. I would appreciate a little more respect," the absol said.

"I don't just give out respect, you have to earn it. Till then, stop trying to act superior. She kissed me, I didn't kiss her," Wolfe replied coolly. Duke glared at him, before snorting.

"Fine. I will let this slip, though I will be having words with you later," he said, eyeing Luna. Luna just smiled at him sheepishly.

"I'm sorry about that, love. I really don't know what came over me. It won't happen again," she told him, before going up to him and kissing him. The absol's anger faded.

When they broke apart, Duke turned to Wolfe. "Well, now that that… event… is behind us, would you mind explaining who all of your companions are? I only hired you, I didn't pay for anyone else."

Wolfe nodded. "Well, the lovely vaporeon over there is one of my mates, Lura. She asked to tag along, and who can refuse anything as lovely as her? The happy green fuck back there is Gabe, my partner. We rarely go anywhere without each other. The unusual looking jolteon is Artul, a recent addition to the group. I agreed to help him out with a few things, and he's with me so I can follow up on that promise. The umbreon with red rings is Sin, or Kage. He's an old friend of mine, actually the one who trained me. You might have heard of him before. The entrancing eevee next to him is his mate, Nova. They're here for their own reasons," he introduced.

Duke raised an eyebrow. "Sin, as in the mercenary who fell from the face of the earth after the Memory war?"

Wolfe nodded, as Sin flicked his ear again. Duke nodded. "I actually sent someone to try and hire him, but I haven't heard back from that particular messenger. And Artul, hmm? Definitely an interesting looking jolteon. Never seen anything quite like him. But, provided it is no extra cost, I have no problem with them being here," he said.

"Don't worry, it will be no extra cost. They're my plus five," came Wolfe's reply.

"Then welcome! Please, come in! I hope you'll forgive me if I sound a little prideful, but I am mightily proud of my Army. After all, it has the largest number of pokemon in it, more than any other army, barring your Mercenary Corps that is. But, as your Mercenary Corps is no longer in use, we hold that title. We do have humans in it as well, but only those that can understand pokemon speech. That is our only requirement, as we will train them," the absol said.

They started to walk through the large entrance, with Cordina dropping behind to walk next to Wolfe and Lura. "You know my mother?" she asked in a whisper.

Wolfe nodded. "Indeed I do, and it answers a great number of my questions."

She hesitated, and Lura saw that she was nervous. "She was… your mate?" she asked in a sad voice.

"Yes, she _was_. That's the key word there. She has your father now, and I have you two," he told her with a grin.

Cordina smiled at him gratefully, before placing a quick kiss on his lips. "Thank you," she breathed.

He just chuckled at her. "Don't mention it," he said.

They walked in silence as they entered the Dark Army's tunnel entrance, Luna and Duke in the lead, followed by Wolfe, Lura and Cordina, with Gabe and Artul behind them and Sin and Nova bringing up the rear.

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

As he followed Luna and Duke, Wolfe's thoughts were in a turmoil. _How the hell did she survive for so long? No way it's just heritage. If it was, she would look older, but no. She's still as young looking as when I knew her._

His thoughts were interrupted by Luna, who had slowed down to speak with him and the girls. Duke had as well, obviously having the same thought as Luna.

"Cordina… why are you carrying an egg? Is it Lura's?" Luna asked her daughter.

Cordina shifted uncomfortably, shooting a quick glance at Wolfe. Wolfe shrugged. She breathed deeply.

"No… it's not Lura's… Lura is carrying hers," she said hesitantly.

Duke frowned at her. "Then whose is it?" he asked.

Cordina sighed again. "It's… mine," she said.

Duke and Luna stopped, which halted the entire group. They stared at their daughter in shock. Then Luna shook her head.

"Cordina! You're barely an adult! You're far too young to raise a kit! Who's the father?" she asked in disbelief.

Cordina sat down, and shifted her paws uncomfortably, shooting another glance at Wolfe. Duke and Luna turned to stare at him, as he suddenly found the walls of the cave to be very interesting. They were so smooth, gently curving to form the ceiling. It was obvious that it wasn't a natural cave.

"Did you guys make this cave?" he asked them curiously.

"You fucked our daughter!?" they screamed at him in unison. Both of them looked pissed at him, even Luna.

He blinked at them. "Is that a no?"

Gabe started laughing from behind him, as Nova and Lura giggled. Cordina just looked uncomfortable.

"Why the hell would you do that?" Luna asked him, still yelling. Wolfe frowned.

"I didn't make the cave. And it was just a question, no need to yell at me," he said, while pouting.

They just glared at him. "You fucked. Our daughter. Why?" Duke said threateningly.

Wolfe snorted, all amusement gone. "Duke, stop trying to intimidate me. I know for fact that you wouldn't stand a chance against me. Point in fact, the only one that would, would be Sin back there. Now, does it really concern you why I did anything? I was in the mood, the opportunity presented itself, and she asked to join. That's really it. Then she must have enjoyed herself, as we did it again. And again. Frankly, I would be happy. You're going to be a grandpa, after all. Besides, as I said earlier, Lura is _one,_ " he hung on that word for a moment, before continuing, "of my mates."

Duke's eyes widened in shock. "How insolent can you be?" he asked.

Wolfe shrugged. Then he changed his demeanor, becoming serious. "Duke, I realize that it might seem very bad that your daughter is a mother, what with her being barely an adult and all. But, nothing bad will come out of this. Consider it as such, you have a very well renowned son in law. Also, after my three years are up, I will continue to remain with your daughter, as well as Lura. That means, if she wishes it, I will support the Dark Army. Provided I agree with your ideals, that is."

Duke struggled mentally for a while. Then he sighed. "If she is happy with you, then I suppose that I have no complaints. I just wish that she had obeyed orders. Yes, one reason that I sent her to get you, as opposed to another messenger, was because I knew she was attractive, and you have a certain… reputation. But, I told her not to do anything with you, maybe flirt a little bit. So I suppose it is in part my fault that she now has a… mate…"

Cordina cut in at this point, saying, "Trust me daddy, I am very happy. He loves me, and I love him. And Lura. You told me that if I found my own mate, you wouldn't force us apart. Like Marki… Well, I found my mate."

Duke sighed, as Luna looked conflicted. Wolfe new that she probably had a problem with her daughter being mates with her old mate. _Hell, who wouldn't have a problem with that?_

"I know, Cory. Alright, you've made your choice. I just hope that you don't regret it," Duke told her with a small smile. Cordina squealed, before nuzzling her father vigorously. Duke made eye contact with Wolfe over her head. "Take good care of her," he said firmly.

Wolfe nodded, wearing an easy smile once again. "Don't worry, Duke. She'll live a very long and very happy life. You can count on it."

Duke smiled at him. "I'll hold you to that," he told him.

Luna still looked conflicted, as well as slightly jealous. Wolfe mentally sighed. _I'll have to take care of that. And soon._

Then Duke shook himself. "Alright, I should show you to your rooms now. You've had a long journey, so I'd imagine that you're pretty tired," he said.

"I could rest for a while," Nova said, shaking a paw slightly.

Duke smiled again. "Then just follow me!"

They followed them for a long way, passing what appeared to be doorways, though they were just off shooting caves. Wolfe heard the sounds of sparring coming from one of them, and made a mental note to visit it at some point. A good spar always got the blood flowing. And maybe Kage would be up to a little bout.

They passed more caves, and Wolfe found himself wondering how they got light down there. Then he noticed glowing crystals hanging from the ceiling. _Smart._ He heard sounds of talking as well as random shouts coming from some of the caves. One cave had steam coming from it, and he guessed that there was a hot springs located there.

Finally, Duke stopped at a smaller cave entrance than the ones previous. They entered it, which led them to a narrower hallway, with multiple doors to the side. Wolfe noticed that they all had flaps near the bottom, so that quadrupeds could enter and exit them freely. There were around ten doors on each side, and he guessed that this wing was for sleeping.

Duke stopped and turned to the group. "Alright, this particular wing is empty for the moment, so you can all stay here. Pick your own rooms, they're all the same. We have a numbering system, but that's in the human language. Not sure if you can read them, but it doesn't really matter. This is the C section, followed by a number, one through twenty. Take your pick," he told them.

Wolfe nodded, and immediately went to the room four doors down the hall and on the left. Lura and Cordina padded after him.

"Cordina, you should stay in your old room," Luna said suddenly. Wolfe turned to look at the two female umbreons. Cordina was padding towards her mother dejectedly.

"Actually, I would prefer it if my mate slept with me," Wolfe told her. Cordina perked up immediately, staring hopefully at her parents.

Luna frowned and opened her mouth to argue, but was cut off by Duke. "Go right ahead, if it'll make things better for you," he said. Cordina squealed happily again, before running back to Aurumn. Luna glared at her mate, though she didn't argue with him.

Wolfe grinned at the absol, who smiled back. Then he turned towards the door that he had chosen. _C16,_ he thought. _Eh, why not._

He pushed his way through the door flap, with Lura and Cordina following him. He spotted the mattress immediately, and made his way towards it.

"I'm going to catch up on some sleep, can you two let the others know? Then you can join me or do what you like," he told Lura and Cordina. They shared a look and shrugged, before making their way back into the hall. Wolfe watched them go, before curling up, with one purpose in mind.

 _Take my soul out, I need to speak with you,_ he mentally ordered. For a second, nothing happened. Then, his world flashed and he felt a sharp pain in his chest, followed by emptiness.

 **[POV: Nova]**

"Aurumn is going to sleep, do you mind if we visit with you for a while?" Lura asked her.

Nova blinked. "Uh, sure. I don't see why not, it'll give us a chance to get to know each other better!" she said excitedly.

Lura giggled, as Cordina smiled and nodded. Nova turned to Kage.

"Which room do you want, baby?" she asked sweetly.

He looked over his options carefully, before gesturing towards the door to the left of the one Wolfe had chosen. "That one," he said. Nova agreed with a hum.

They padded through the door, as the rest of the group dispersed into their own rooms, all on the left side of the hall. When they entered, Nova saw the bed and squealed happily. "Yay! An actual mattress!"

Then she bounded over to it, before jumping on top of it and curling up, covering her face with her bushy tail. Then she peeked over it to look at the three other eeveelutions, all smiling at her. "So, what do you two like to do?" she asked Lura and Cordina.

Lura smiled, and opened her mouth to answer, before she broke off with a scream of pain, Cordina screaming with her as they both collapsed and writhed in agony on the floor. Nova panicked, and ran over to them.

"Oh my Arceus, are you two alright?" she asked. Then she noticed something glowing on each of their shoulders, Lura's right and Cordina's left. She frowned and turned to look at Kage, who looked just as confused, though not as worried.

"What's that?" she asked him. He studied the marks for a moment.

"If I had to guess, I would say that they are Wolfe's marks."

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

He opened his eyes with a sharp intake of breath. He could feel soft grass and dirt below him. He gazed up at the sky and saw the moon and the stars, all shining brightly. Then he coughed once, before checking his surroundings. He was in a small field bathed in the moonlight, surrounded by trees on either side. He looked towards the center of the field and saw a little pond, filled with clear blue water. _My own little heaven,_ he thought.

Halfway between him and the pond stood a very beautiful glaceon, wearing a gorgeous smile as she stared at him. "Hello, my champion," she greeted him in her entrancing voice.

He grunted and glared at her. Then he got to his paws and approached her. As he got closer, her appearance shimmered into an eevee with white fur, except the tip of her tail and her collar were black. Nova. Then she shimmered again, before turning into Lura. And again, turning into Cordina. Then she shifted into a ninetales, still smiling at him.

"Turn around, lift your tail, raise that sexy ass of yours, and prepare yourself," he ordered her, still glaring.

Her smile faltered slightly, and she sighed. "Are you that upset?" she asked.

"We'll talk after I fuck your brains out. For now, do as I say."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I suppose I have been rather naughty, haven't I? What form would you like me in? Cordina's? Or Lura's? Oh, maybe that rather pretty eevee friend of Sin's, Nova's?"

He growled at her, only a few feet away at this point. "I don't care, just do as I said."

She frowned again, and sighed. Then she turned back into a glaceon.

 **VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

 **LEMON WARNING: M/F**

 **[Third Person POV]**

As a glaceon, she turned around and raised her tail for her demon. Wolfe saw her puckered anal ring, as well as her lovely looking pussy, and felt his member come out of his sheath, ready to vent his frustration on her sexy body.

He got close to her, and placed his muzzle near her slit, breathing in her enticing scent. Then he jammed his muzzle into her lips and started plunging his tongue into her as far as he could. He heard her gasp, and smiled thinly. He would enjoy this.

He started working his tongue in and around her cold walls, loving how she tasted. She moaned as she felt something enter her for the first time. She may have been around for a while, but she was only ever really in contact with her champion, and he had never done anything like this with her, despite how often she brought it up. She saw his effects on other women after he'd fucked them, and had always wondered how it felt. So far, it felt amazing.

She let out another gasp, and felt an immense amount of pleasure go throughout her body as his tongue scraped along a sensitive spot inside of her. She felt herself release a little bit of some fluid onto his tongue and into his mouth, and she moaned.

He felt her walls quiver around his tongue and knew that she was getting close, despite him having barely touched her. _Is she new to this,_ he wondered? _I would be surprised, what with her hitting on me as much as she does_. He picked up his pace slightly, wanting her to orgasm quickly. Then he could get onto what he really wanted to do.

She moaned, loud and long as he pleasured her. Her breathing increased, and she felt her heart pound in her chest. _He's good at this,_ she thought. She wasn't surprised though. After all, anyone as sexy as him obviously saw a lot of action. Then she let out a moan louder than her previous ones, as she felt her muscles spasm again.

Wolfe grinned as her walls clenched on his tongue. He picked his pace up even faster, as she suddenly came, moaning his name loudly. "Ohhh, Aurumn,~" she sang. Once her orgasm had passed, Wolfe removed his tongue and raised his head, still licking her as he found her tailhole. She gasped as he plunged his tongue into her ass, before he removed it just as quickly.

Wolfe grinned as he reared up on his hind legs and mounted her. He pressed his tip against her tailhole, and she gasped. "Not there!" she said loudly. Wolfe shrugged. Then he adjusted himself slightly, and pressed against her cunt. Then he leaned his head down towards her ear, and spoke to her in a low, seductive voice.

"I hope that your sexy rear is ready for me, because I am _not_ being gentle," he whispered to her. He felt her release a little bit of liquid on his tip and grinned.

She was about to tell him to go easy, as this would be her first time, but she never got the chance. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a short squeal as he took her virginity, breaking her hymen and penetrating her all the way to his hilt in one thrust. She cried in pain, as well as a bit of pleasure, but mostly pain. She felt herself filled in a way that she had never imagined, and just couldn't help it.

He moaned as he felt her tight, slightly chilly walls envelope his member. He also felt her hymen break, and heard her cry out. However, he didn't stop as he pulled out and thrust into her again, causing her to cry out again. He continued fucking her at a steady pace, scarcely hearing her cry's. He peeked at her furry face and saw a few tears run down her blue furred cheeks. He mentally sighed. Then he kissed behind her ear, comforting her.

He started to lick the back of her neck, still fucking her pussy. "Damn, you're so soft and tight! I love it!" he told her. She just dumbly nodded, head bobbing from the force of his thrusts. After a little while, he felt her start to thrust back into him, moaning again.

"Aurumn.~" she sang. She looked over her shoulder at him. "I love you,~" she told him.

He smiled at her lustfully. "I know, my Lady," he told her, before kissing her panting maw. Then he broke away and licked the tip of her muzzle. "Now sing for me! I want to hear that gorgeous voice of yours!" he exclaimed, as he started to pound into her. She obliged him, moaning as loud as she could, occasionally cut off when he kissed her.

He moaned as well when he felt her muscles tighten around his dick, causing him to fuck her even harder as she came onto his member. Her front legs gave out from underneath her, making it so that she was pressed face down into the dirt as he fucked her into the dirt. She rotated her head so that she could breathe, and so that her champion could hear her sing for him. She knew he loved it.

Then she felt his knot slap against her slit, and came again. She heard him moan loudly, and knew that he was getting close. She felt his breath against her ear as he leaned down to speak to her. "Can you get pregnant?" he asked huskily. She nodded dumbly, still moaning. He smiled at her. "Good."

With that, he slammed into her a few more times, before forcing his knot inside of her, tying them together. She felt his load pump inside of her and came again, screaming his name as she felt him fill her. Wolfe groaned as he felt him shoot load after load inside of her womb. She was only too eager to let him.

Finally, he stopped and just stood over her, panting softly for several minutes. Then he murred happily as she turned her head back to lick him. "Thank you, my love," she told him happily, as she rested her head against the ground again. "That was like everything I had imagined."

He grinned as he felt his knot deflate. "I'm sorry, my lady. But I'm nowhere close to being finished," he told her. Then he rubbed his tip against her tighter hole, spreading a thin layer of lube. Then he poised his tip just outside of her tailhole. "I'm sorry, my Lady. But this is going to hurt a little bit. Just remember, you told me that I could use your body however I wished when we next met. Well, I wish to do this. I hope that your sexy ass is ready for me."

The he pressed himself against her, before thrusting himself into her ass. She cried out again in pain. He still continued, until he was as deep in her ass as he had been in her cunt. He rested there for a moment, before pulling out till just his tip remained inside of her tightest of holes. She whimpered softly, and he thrust himself back into her inviting depths.

He started licking the back of her neck again, offering the same comfort as he had earlier. She let out another whimper. "I'm sorry that this hurts, but I promise it gets better. Then you'll find a pleasure like you haven't had before. If it's any consolation, your ass not only looks sexy as fuck, it feels amazing as fuck when I'm inside it," he told her gently. She cracked open her right eye so that she could look up at her demon fucking her ass.

"My body is yours, my demon, even as you are mine. An even trade, is it not? Use it however you like, whenever you like. I'll always be ready for you," she told him seductively.

He grinned down at her. "Good," he told her, licking her cheek.

Then he picked up his pace, fucking her as hard and as fast as he had fucked her pussy, not holding anything back. She continued to let out little cry's here and there, but not once did she tell him to stop. She started to feel a little a little pleasure as their time went on, but nothing compared to earlier. She did feel that wonderful feeling start to build up again, and let out a moan with her cry's. She started to force herself back into him, wanting to pleasure him as best she could, despite her discomfort.

Then she started to feel his knot slam into her like before, and squirmed a little. She started to panic as he showed no signs of stopping, and wondered if she'd be able to even take his knot. Her question was answered shortly, as he pressed himself into her, his knot forcing her asshole apart so that it would accept him. She let out a loud moan as she felt herself orgasm, completely erasing any pain that she might have felt. Then she felt him shoot his second load of his visit deep inside of her ass.

He halted above her, filling up her second hole as he tried to catch his breath. He eventually stopped cumming inside of her, and just let himself sit there, enjoying her body. She raised her head to look at him, and he kissed her tenderly. She smiled into his mouth, feeling wonderfully relaxed after that little session. Then she felt his knot deflate inside of her, allowing him to pull out as they kissed. She moaned his name into his mouth softly, feeling a strange warmth travel through her after her asshole's brutal fucking. Then he broke away and winked at her.

"One more hole, my Lady," he told her cheekily. She just smiled and nodded, before licking his muzzle. Then he stepped away from her, letting her get to her feet. She did so, and smiled.

"Lay on your back," she told him. He raised an eyebrow, before nodding with a grin. He laid down on his side, before rotating onto his back, revealing his large member to her. Her eyes widened slightly. _I took that whole thing in my ass,_ she thought incredulously. She padded up to him, and licked his tip gently.

Then she started running her tongue up his shaft from sheath to tip. He moaned softly and she smiled. She ran her tongue around his tip, before taking him into her mouth, wrapping her lips around it as she did so. He moaned again, and she felt a spurt of pre enter mouth. _Lovely,_ she thought with a smile. Then she lowered her head, taking him deeper into her mouth.

Wolfe gasped slightly as he felt her mouth take him about halfway. Then she moved so that she was standing on top of his chest. _She's light,_ he thought. _And gives amazing blow jobs._

With her new position, she could take him into her throat, which she did eagerly. He gasped as he felt a third of his member enter her throat. He unconsciously thrust upwards into her maw, forcing her mouth to touch his sheath, as well as forcing half of his dick into her throat. She didn't even flinch.

She started bobbing her head up and down, using his rod as a toy to fuck her throat with. She licked the sides of his shaft, and wrapped her tongue around it as well. Wolfe started moaning and breathing hard. "Damn, you're amazing at this," he gasped out. She just smiled, and continued as she was. Then she picked her pace up, till she was going as fast as she could. She felt more pre hit her throat.

She felt his knot start to develop, and grinned at what she had in mind. She kept her pace, going loving his taste. When his knot was fully formed, she smiled around his shaft. Then she forced her head down, keeping her lips sealed as she made his knot enter her mouth. Then she swallowed around him, causing him to moan loudly. Then she felt him cum deep inside her throat, almost directly into her stomach. He placed his paws on the back of her head, keeping her locked in place as he filled her stomach.

Then he stopped, and relaxed his grip on her, breathing hard. She murred around his cock, and kept him inside of her until his knot deflated. Then she raised her head off of him entirely, before placing a kiss on his tip. Then she hopped off him.

 **LEMON END**

 **VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

"Holy shit," he gasped out. She laughed at him as he got to his feet.

"Feeling better, my champion?" she asked him.

He nodded with a smile. "Oh definitely. But, I have to ask you. Was that your… first?" he asked.

She nodded with a smile. He blinked at her. "So you're telling me that I deflowered a goddess."

She laughed at his words. "Oh demon, I'm not a goddess. You know that. A goddess has many subjects, I, however, have one." She poked a paw into his chest. "You. That's why I brought you back and gave you your second chance that you wanted. Consider me your guide."

He grinned at her. "Still counts as a goddess in my book. Something to tell my friends."

She frowned at him disapprovingly, before smiling and laughing. "You're impossible," she told him.

He nodded. "I know. Yet, you chose me out of billions."

She winked at him. "And I wouldn't change my choice for any. Now then, you have questions for me?"

He frowned slightly. "You told me she was dead."

"No I did not. You just assumed and I didn't correct you. It was necessary, believe me. I didn't want to hurt you, but if you hadn't you would have stayed with her."

"Is that such a bad thing?"

She glared at him. "Think about Lura, or Cordina. If you had stayed with her, you would have met neither of them. Lura would have died to the plague, and Cordina wouldn't have existed in the first place. Neither would the Dark Army have. And all of them are important in your future."

He sighed. "I suppose things did work out decent. At least she seems happy with Duke. I'm grateful to him for that. And they gave me Cordina," he said with a chuckle.

"So you love her?"

"I don't know. I know I want her to be happy, and I want our child to grow up to be someone great. Greater than me, in any case."

She frowned for a moment. "There is something that you need to be aware of, my champion."

He stared at her suspiciously. "Which is… what exactly?"

She sighed unhappily. Then she went up to him and nuzzled him. "I'm sorry, Aurumn, but you won't be able to mark any of your offspring. That is the way it goes, and I'm sorry that it has to be this way."

He blinked at her. Then his eyes widened. "You mean to tell me, that not only will _I_ live longer than my children, but so will Lura and Cordina?" he asked in disbelief.

She nodded. "That is correct. As you know, anyone that you mark shares your life with you, being immortal, unless something were to kill them, such as a poison or a blade. So, Lura and Cordina will be with you for a long time. However, your children will not. Also note, that you can only have one child with someone that you have marked. They can have children that you did not father, but only one with you. So these two will be your only kids from Lura and Cordina."

He stared at her, shocked beyond words. Then he sat down and stared at his paws, almost as if in defeat. "Was it really such a great idea to have these kids?" he whispered.

She nuzzled him affectionately. "Yes, I promise you that it was. They'll both do great things. One will become a warrior, greater than any barring you and one other, whom you know. The other, will become a fair Queen, one respected by all. Her kingdom with her mate will be located in the Hidden Valley, which you shall name at a later date. She will be this kingdom's second ruler. And they will each have many offspring."

He looked up at her, smiling at her. "Seriously?" he asked.

She nodded with a smile. Then she let out a slight hum. "Almost forgot to tell you. When they come of age, they will both be able to do as you do, meaning they will have a human form. All of their descendants will have this ability, though few will be able to use it effectively. Some will be as pokemon, while others as humans, for their entire lives and not be aware of their connection with you or with each other."

His eyes widened. "They'll be that great?" he asked in a whisper. She nodded.

He grinned at her broadly. "Thank you!" he exclaimed. She laughed at him.

"It's of no moment, my love. Now, it is time for you to be going. Cordina thinks you are dead, as does most of your other companions, barring Kage and Gabe, as well as Lura."

He nodded. "Alright, guess I'll go spook her then," he said, as he padded over to the pond from before. When he reached the water's edge, he paused to look back at her. "What will it gain now?" he asked.

She smiled at him. "Enhanced abilities, both physical and mental," she told him. He raised an eyebrow, before shrugging with a grin.

"Got it. Visit soon, alright? It's even more fun when I'm not 'dead'," he said with a laugh. She shrugged with a grin.

"We'll see how things go, but I'll definitely follow up on this visit."

He nodded. "Goodbye, my Lady."

"Goodbye, my demon."

Then Wolfe turned back towards the pond. He lowered his head and stared at his reflection for a moment, with the moon shining behind him. Then he lapped up a few mouthfuls of water, and darkness over took him.

 **[POV: Lura]**

They were all sitting around Wolfe's body, with Cordina crying over him, as Sin watched with near indifference, as did Gabe. Artul just looked stunned, and Nova looked sad. Duke and Luna were staring at him in disbelief.

"How did he die?" Duke asked them.

"We don't know, we just felt the pain from our marks, and then ran in here when we recovered. When we got here, he was already dead," Lura told him.

Duke blinked at her. "You're taking this awfully well for someone whose mate just died," he told her suspiciously.

Gabe cut in at this point. "That's because he's a demon," he explained.

Duke turned to the gallade with a glare. "Yes, we know of his reputation. He's a good fighter, big whoop. He's still dead!"

"That wasn't what he meant when he said that I was a demon," a deep, calming voice spoke. Lura grinned as everyone, barring her, Gabe and Sin, snapped their heads towards Wolfe, who was now sitting in front of them.

"You see, the reason as to why I am called a demon is very simple. I have trouble staying dead."

* * *

 **And done! Chapter 14 is complete! I didn't cover as much ground as I had originally planned, but I figured I included a lot of things to think about. I revealed the mystery visitor from last chapter, as well as threw in my most detailed lemon to date. In my opinion, anyway. I have gotten lots of PM's telling me that they like my lemons, so I hope that goes for everyone that reads them! Alright, not a whole lot else to talk about. If I didn't end the chapter where I did, it would have easily become a 18,000 word chapter. Future reference, would people enjoy that? Or do you like my current length? I shoot for just over 6,000 words, though I always go well over it. But, I can easily increase that to, say, 8,000 and not have it affect my uploading pace. So let me know! Hell, I'll also throw up another poll in my profile, so that people can vote. That said, I hope you all enjoyed! Please review, and tell me what I can do to improve!**

 **-Aurumn**


	16. Chapter 15: Sparring For Two

**A/N: Howdy! It's me, Aurumn again! Well, who else would it be, right? Soooo…. 2,000 VIEWS! NOT EVEN OUT FOR A MONTH! Y'all are awesome. I'm glad that so many people are reading and enjoying my story! It means a lot to me, especially as I wasn't sure how well this story would do when I first uploaded. Hell, I'm not even to chapter 20 yet! Not sure what to do to celebrate… but oh well! So, on my poll I have three, (Count em, three!) votes for me to increase my chapter size to 10,000 words. So, this chapter will be at least 10,000 words. That means… banter! But, that's alright. Action will be starting, if not this chapter then next one. Something I personally am looking forward to! As well as a certain event between two individuals which will happen** _ **waaaay**_ **in the future (well, 5 chapters or so, depending on how things go). But, that's hush-hush business ;). Alright, more of Wolfe's history in this chapter, as promised. On with the story!**

* * *

 **[POV: Wolfe, Seconds After Death]**

 _ **[Where am I?]**_

 _ **{Your own little paradise.}**_

He felt… nothing. He heard nothing, he saw nothing, and he was nothing. He was just… there. Floating in a void of nothingness. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't do anything. He just floated.

Then, in the distance, he saw a spec of light, slowly approaching. As it got closer, Wolfe found that he could move now. He blinked, and watched the light get closer to him. Suddenly, he found himself flying towards it at an incredibly fast pace, faster than he could have ever imagined. His world flashed white, before it faded into darkness.

Then he felt a great pain in his chest, and gasped hugely as his eyes shot open. He was staring up at a full moon, larger and brighter than he had ever seen, with brilliant stars surrounding it. He kept breathing hard, savoring every breath that entered his lungs as he admired the sky.

Then he groaned and sat up, breath slowing down as he looked at his surroundings. He was sitting in a small clearing, filled with flowers. Surrounding him on every side were beautiful trees, the moonlight giving them an unearthly splendor. He just stared in shock.

"Where am I?" he asked no-one in particular.

"Your own little paradise," a beautiful voice spoke from behind him. He flinched, and leapt to his feet, spinning around as he did so, and got into a fighting stance as he stared at whoever had spoken. He blinked in amazement.

Sitting in front of him, between him and a pond filled with clear blue water, was a strange, dark, quadruped creature, with yellow rings on its shoulders, as well as one on its forehead. It was smiling at him slightly.

He shook his head. "Did you just speak?" he asked incredulously. The creature nodded, still smiling.

"Yes, yes I did. Now, I'd imagine that you have questions for me?" it asked. _She,_ he realized.

He frowned. "What happened?" he asked her.

This time, the creature frowned at him. "You died," she told him simply.

He blinked again. Then he snorted in amusement. "So, you're here to judge me then? Choose where I go? Guess I chose my religion incorrectly."

She smiled at him again. "No, I am not here to judge you, though I could if you'd like."

"Miss, I know how I would be judged. I've killed a lot of men, many of whom I probably could have spared. But I didn't. I am a demon in my own right."

She nodded, got to her paws, and padded up to him. He didn't move as she approached, just watched her. She started to circle him slowly, eyeing him. "Are you so sure of that? Well then, let's see here. Firstly, you have no religion. You had nothing to really guide you, nothing to make sure you did the right thing. You killed many men because of this, yet, you weren't a horrible person. Intriguing, isn't it? You've accomplished things that few could imagine, and even fewer could achieve. And you did it all on your own power, not thinking that you would get anything in return. When you were shot saving that child, whom you had no attachment to, you did it for nothing in return. When you saved your friend, David, you saved him for no reason other than he was your friend. You didn't ask for anything, you didn't expect anything."

"When you jumped in front of that enemy to save your brother in arms, you did it for nothing. You did it to save his life, not caring for your own. When you had the opportunity to jump out of that window when a grenade was thrown at you and your comrades, you didn't. Instead, you leaped onto the grenade, fully expecting it to blow up and kill you. But you did it anyway. It was only by chance that it was a dud. You willingly placed yourself into harm's way, just to save your comrades, who all leaped away from the grenade. When you saved those six soldiers, who you didn't even really know, you did it for no other reason than to protect your brothers. You didn't expect to come out alive, nor did you expect to get anything in return."

"When you and David were in your first combat situation, you risked absolutely everything once you saw that he had been shot. You were shot four times in that instance alone, one of which needed serious medical attention. But you still ran on. It was… unfortunate that it was too late. But, it wasn't your fault that he died. He was already dead when you got there. Then, with you still wounded, you literally jumped into the fray, not giving a damn for your own safety. You killed many men that day, but you also saved many as well. Just think of Hendricks, who you first met five minutes after David had died. He was losing a grappling fight with an enemy, almost having a knife plunged into his chest. But then you showed up, with your own knife, and killed him. At this point, you had been shot eight times, two of which would be near fatal with a lesser man. You saved him, and many more that day. Because you felt that you had failed your friend. Because they were your comrades. Because they were your brothers. You did it for no other reason. You wanted to die that day. But you kept going."

"And finally, just a little while ago. You knew that there was a very high chance that you would die if you didn't pull out with the other team. But you also knew, that, if you had done nothing except leave, the other team wouldn't have even made it. You knew that you were their only chance. Yet you also knew that you could die. But, you didn't even hesitate. You held your ground, you fought against impossible odds. You fought against odds that no other man could face and expect to come out alive. And you nearly survived. If you had two more magazines, you would have lived. You knew your limits, but you pushed them. It led to your death. But, you also killed every single one of the remaining enemies. Your last action, where a lesser man might have surrendered, was to spit into the face of the enemy and take them out with you. A pyrrhic victory, but still a victory."

"You risked your life, time and time again, expecting that nothing would happen to you after you died. But you did it anyway. Do you know what we call people like you? A hero."

Wolfe stared at her, shocked that she knew so much of his past. Then he registered her last word and frowned. "I'm no hero, lady. I fought for selfish reasons," he told her.

She raised an eyebrow as she came to a halt in front of him. "Those selfish reasons being that you didn't want to see a comrade killed? That you didn't want to go through the pain of losing your family again? That you wanted to be the one to die, so that they would live? Those reasons?" she asked.

He gazed at her for a while, before sighing. "What exactly is the point of this little flashback session?"

She smiled at him. "I believe that everyone deserves as second chance, regardless of what they have done."

He frowned. "Yet some people don't even deserve one chance."

She shook her head. "Yet you are not such a one. So, if you could have anything at all, what would it be?"

"I don't know. After all, I am dead."

She smiled again. "But that doesn't mean that you have to remain that way. So, what do you want?"

He stared at the moon for a moment, before smiling softly. "A second chance," he told her.

She beamed at him. "Then welcome to your second chance. Just take a drink from that pond behind me."

He raised an eyebrow, before walking over to it. "Let's hope this one's better than my last," he said, as he knelt down to drink, cupping his hands in the cool water. As he drank, she walked up to him.

"Now, you'll be placed in a new world, one that you have never seen. You are to be my champion, my first, and my last. Do all that you can to make this life better than your last," she told him.

"Provided that I am able, I have no complaint. I'll try my best," he replied as his vision started to dim. His last glimpse of her was of her smiling at him.

"You'll be great, my champion," she said softly, as his world went dark.

 **[POV: Nova]**

She stared at the risen Wolfe in shock, as Cordina looked at him, speechless. _How in the world…_ she wondered to herself?

"How…" Cordina started, before trailing off.

Wolfe turned his grin to her. "Were you worried about me, love?" he asked cheekily.

She glared at him, before smacking him with a paw. "Yes! You were dead! For no reason!" she exclaimed.

Wolfe rubbed his shoulder, still grinning. "Well, remember when you had that memory back when you first got your mark? Yeah. That was me from my previous life. You see, I'm actually dead already. I died a long time ago, around 100 years or so. When I was brought back to life, I was… different. I could turn into a pokemon, and I could mark people. That's the short history of me. Now, due to the fact that I am already dead, I can't die. At least, not permanently. I will be dead, but only for a certain amount of time, depending on the cause of death," he told her.

 _That's… impressive,_ Nova thought. She looked at Kage, who was just staring at Wolfe.

' _Did you know about this?'_ she asked him silently.

He turned his gaze to her. _'Yes, yes I did. Wolfe is an… interesting individual. Him being unable to die is how he survived me training him. He actually only died once during training, which is surprising in of itself,'_ came his reply.

Nova nodded once, understanding. _'I'll let the fact that you killed him once slide, mainly because you weren't with me yet.'_

' _You're going to give me shit about that later, aren't you?'_

' _No, for once I'll actually let it slide, as he isn't permanently dead.'_

' _Technically, he is. I just wasn't the cause of it.'_

She glared at him, and he shifted uncomfortably. She nodded once, to herself. Then she tuned back into the conversation, in which Duke was talking to Wolfe.

"… charge so much for your services?" the absol asked.

Wolfe shook his head. "No, I charge a lot for my services because I'll get the job done, quicker and more efficient than anyone. That includes Sin, as he usually just destroyed everything. I have a bit more… control, let's say." Kage frowned at him.

"I can control myself if needed. I just normally choose not to," he said defensively.

Wolfe snorted, as Nova giggled. "Well, I say that we all actually go to sleep. Well, I am in any case. That means, everyone who isn't my mate needs to scoot. Now. Before I decide that you're all my mates and treat you as such," Wolfe told the crowd.

Nova let out a giggle as the room was quickly emptied, leaving just her, Lura, Cordina and Kage. Wolfe turned an appraising eye at her and Kage. "Well, I guess that you two want to be treated as my mates then? Hey, I ain't going to complain. Two _very_ good looking 'mon such as yourselves can always have a bit of 'fun' with me," he told them with a grin.

Nova giggled again. Then she stuck her tongue out at him. "Sorry hon, you couldn't handle me," she told him cheekily.

His eyes brightened immediately. "Is that a challenge? Because, that sounded like a challenge to me," he said.

Nova winked at him. "Challenge all you want, you're not ever tapping this eevee rear," she said as she turned around and waved her rear at him, grinning at him over her shoulder.

Wolfe pouted. "What if I beg?" he asked. She turned around and sat down, placing a paw against her chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm… nope!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

Wolfe pouted some more. Then he turned to Kage. "Sin! She's being mean to me! She keeps flashing me her sexy little rear, but won't follow up on it," he whined.

Kage stared at him with disinterest. "Not my problem, she doesn't refuse me," he told him.

Wolfe's lip quivered. The he turned back to Nova. "Please?" he begged hopefully.

Lura started to laugh, as Cordina just smiled. Nova thought for a moment, then shrugged with a smile. "Sure!" she said.

Wolfe's ears perked up immediately. "Really!?" he asked.

"Nope!"

He started to pout again. Then he sighed. "I guess I can wait," he said dejectedly.

Nova frowned. "But I said never," she said, confused.

He grinned and winked at her. "That's what you say now, give it a little bit of time. You'll come around," he said confidently.

Kage snorted once, before heading to walk out the door, picking Nova up by her scruff in the process. "Hey! Wait! We hadn't finished our conversation!" she wailed at him, batting him with her paws uselessly.

"Tough," he mumbled through her fur. She peeked around him to look at Wolfe again.

"We'll finish this conversation later!" she yelled at the grinning umbreon. He started laughing as they exited his room.

As she swayed from her mate's jaw, she glared at him. "Rude," she said with a huff.

He just snorted, before saying, "Yeah, yeah. You can finish your conversation tomorrow. For now, let's sleep." She just glared at him, the effect slightly ruined due to him carrying her.

When they got to the bed in their room, Kage set her down on the mattress gently, before curling up around her and making his cloak shrink into its dark grey collar form. She still glared at him, before mumbling to herself as she curled into his side to sleep. She didn't wait for him to fall asleep first. She knew he wouldn't.

When she woke the next day, she stretched and let out an adorable yawn, ending it with her smacking her lips lightly as she got up to stretch. She knew Kage enjoyed her adorableness, so she sometimes went a little… extra. Wasn't her fault that she was so cute. She looked at her mate, who was staring at her with amusement. She grinned, and flicked his nose with her tail as she hopped off the bed.

"Morning," she told him.

"Good morning," he returned, following her off the bed. They both made their way out their rooms door, and sat outside of Wolfe's room to wait for him to get up.

"Why exactly are we waiting for him?" Kage asked, after they had been sitting for a while.

"Because I want to finish our conversation, that _you_ wouldn't let me finish yesterday," she said with a glare. He frowned at her, and opened his mouth to speak when Wolfe suddenly exited his room, followed shortly by Lura and Cordina. He stopped when he saw the two of them, and raised an eyebrow.

"Why good morning!" he exclaimed with a smile.

"Morning!" Nova replied cheerfully. Kage just grunted in greeting.

"So, why were you waiting to greet us?" Wolfe asked.

Nova frowned. "Do we need a reason?"

He raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "I suppose not. What's the plan today?"

Kage opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off.

"There is someone that I would like you to meet," Duke told them, entering their sleeping wing from the main hall. Nova turned around to watch as the absol and his mate approached them, Luna smiling at Wolfe brightly.

Wolfe looked at them curiously. "And who would that be? Good morning to you two, by the way," he said to them.

Luna smiled even brighter. "Good morning to you too, Aurumn! And, a very important member of the Dark Army," she told him.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, I guess let's go then!"

Duke and Luna nodded, before turning around and gesturing for them to follow. They started after them, with Wolfe being immediately behind them, followed by Lura and Cordina, and them being followed by Kage and Nova. They were just about to exit their sleeping wing, before a voice stopped them from behind.

"Where are you all going?" Artul asked.

Nova turned to the dark jolteon. "They want us to meet someone," she told him.

"Can I come?"

"Sure, don't see why not," Duke said with a warm smile. Artul nodded, before joining Nova and Kage. Then they continued into the hall.

Duke and Luna led them through the long tunnel that served as the main hallway, heading even deeper into the mountain. Nova watched as they passed more side tunnels, though those became fewer and more spread out as they went on. They also passed other pokemon, as well as some humans, all moving with a purpose, or laughing happily with each other. Most of the pokemon were dark types, such as mightyena, as well as weavile and sneasel. She noticed a lot of other types of pokemon, such as normal types. There was one strange one, which peeked her interest more than a little.

It looked like a vulpix, except it was mostly white, barring its head tuft and tails, which were black. It looked more like an ice type than a fire type, in her opinion. It was also wearing some sort of armor on its body, and Nova guessed that it was a warrior. It was obviously in a hurry, rushing past them with scarcely a second glance. _Strange,_ Nova thought as they passed it. When they passed, she glanced back at it to find it staring at them. Well, one of them in particular. When she followed its gaze, she saw that it was looking at Wolfe. She giggled softly.

After a few minutes of walking, she noticed that the tunnel was getting narrower, and guessed that they were reaching the end of it. _Large place._ Finally, the tunnel ended with a simple door. Duke went up to the door and raised a paw to knock on it. Before he could, however, it opened, seemingly by itself. Duke let out a chuckle as they entered through the door.

Once she was through, Nova gasped in awe. They had entered a huge cavern, with a small river on the opposite side. There was a mysterious glow that illuminated the area, though Nova couldn't identify the source. Sitting next to the river, with its back towards them, was a purple, cat like creature, which Nova recognized as an espeon. _I wonder if that's who we were supposed to meet,_ she wondered?

"I've arrived to introduce you to the individual that we hired, as well as his companions," Duke told the espeon. It nodded its head once, before turning around to greet them.

As soon as it was facing them, wearing a small smile in welcome, Nova heard a slightly sharper intake of breath coming from Artul. Nova turned her head towards him with a slight frown, and noticed that he was seemingly entranced by the espeon. Nova turned back to it as she giggled in amusement.

"Greetings, I am Via," the espeon said in a majestic, feminine voice. Nova smiled immediately.

"Howdy! My name is Aurumn Wolfe, usually referred to as Wolfe, or Demon, depending on who you ask. Call me whatever suites you, odds are I'll probably respond. This lovely vaporeon on my right is Lura, one of my mates. I'm sure you already know the lovely umbreon on my left, Cordina, my other mate. The adorable eevee back there is Nova, a rather recent acquaintance, and the red ringed umbreon who's trying to act tough is an old friend of mine, Kage, otherwise known as Sin. He and the eevee are mates. The unusual looking jolteon sitting next to Nova is known as Artul, a recent friend of mine, I suppose. My partner, who isn't here right now, is known as Gabriel, but prefers to be called Gabe. Just look for a gallade who seems just a little bit too pleased with himself. Odds are, it's him," Wolfe said, as he introduced the group.

They all bowed their heads or nodded as a greeting, and Via just smiled at them. "I was actually aware of who you all were already, but I thank you for the introduction," she told them, before looking at Artul. "Though I'm not sure that I knew who you were."

Lura frowned at her. "How did you know who we were already?" she asked.

Via turned her gaze towards the vaporeon. "It's simply because I'm psychic, Lura. I am the Dark Army's… predictor, I guess you would call it. You see, I can see into the future on occasion, with a few exceptions. For instance, I can see your future very clearly, Lura, an yours, Cordina. You two have much to look forward to in life," she said with a smile, before turning towards Wolfe with a slight frown. "But, I can't see yours, or Artul's. I only knew of you in particular through your exploits, Aurumn. Artul, however, I have no knowledge of. It's… interesting, to say the least."

Wolfe simply grinned at her as Artul frowned. "Don't worry dear, I get that from a lot of psychics. Literally, all of them," Wolfe told her.

She smiled again, before frowning at Wolfe, looking serious. "You realize that you are partly to blame for this disease that plagues our land, don't you?" she asked him.

Wolfe frowned. "How exactly am I to blame for something that I have no control over?"

She padded up to him, before sitting down in front of him. "Just over three and a half years ago, you were given a contract to kill certain individuals. You didn't. I saw that they would be the cause of great peril in our land, and instructed a man to gain your services and kill them. You didn't, and now the disease is running rampant through our region."

His expression cleared, as he suddenly turned very serious. "I don't take to kindly to be blamed for a crime that I have not commit. If you really wanted them dead, you would have hired a cheaper assassin. It is not my fault that your man that you instructed didn't have the funds for my services. Point in fact, if it was this important, don't you think that maybe you would have supplied the man with more money, if only for that reason? So no, Via. I am not to blame at all. These things happen, and very rarely can you change how they'll play out. I know of a plague similar to this that decimated an entire continent, and nobody could do anything to halt it. So don't play the blame game, especially with me. Because I fight dirty," he told her in an emotionless voice that made Nova shiver.

 _He's always so carefree, and cheerful, as well as very flirty. Yet, his emotions can change in an instant. Makes me wonder if it isn't all just an act,_ she thought. It was very disconcerting to see the charismatic umbreon so serious and emotionless.

Via jerked back as though she had been struck by his words, lowering her head. "Forgive me, it was not my intention to give offense. I was merely making a statement," she said softly.

"No, you were not. You feel guilty because the plague got out, regardless of all your efforts. You have a lot of pressure on you, especially for one who is so young, what, with having a _very_ important role in the Dark Army and all. You were trying to get some of that weight off of your conscience, and I seemed like the perfect target. After all, it must be the fault of the blade if its owner gets stabbed, right? Certainly couldn't be that the arm didn't raise the blade to defend its owner in time, right? No. It is never the fault of the tool that is used, merely that of the one that guides it. I would recommend not lying to me in the future, Via. I'm not so innocent as to be fooled by them," he replied in that same cold, emotionless voice. Via flinched again.

The group was quiet as they processed what just occurred. Then Artul cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself.

"While I would certainly agree that you shouldn't be blamed for this disease that you speak of, perhaps it is going a bit too far to suggest that she was lying? In her opinion, she could have just been making the statement, despite how it may seem to you," the jolteon said hesitantly.

Wolfe stared at him for a moment, before smiling softly and dipping his head in acknowledgement. "Alright, I can concede to that," he told him, before turning back towards Via. "My apologies, Via. I was wrong to accuse you of lying." The group breathed out a sigh of relief as the crisis was averted.

She smiled back at him, cheerful again. "It's no big deal, I apologize for accusing you of being at fault for the plague," she said. Wolfe dipped his head in agreement, smiling brightly now.

"So, is there anything else that we might need to discuss?" he asked.

Duke shook his head, smiling. "Nope, just felt that you should be introduced to eachother. Via here tells us where we should send our troops, as well as who should be involved. A very important role, and while it is unfortunate that she is so young to carry this much weight on her shoulders, it is necessary," came his reply.

Wolfe nodded in understanding. Nova looked back at Via, who was studying Wolfe and Artul in equal measures. "How old are you anyway?" Nova asked.

Via turned her gaze to the eevee, still smiling. "I am 16 years old. While I am certainly old enough to be an adult, I am still maybe a bit young to have any position of higher standing, at least in my own opinion. But, I am honored to serve in the position that I do, regardless of inexperience," she said.

Nova nodded. "I can understand that. Well, it's nice to see that you're as intelligent as you are, even if you are a little young," she said cheerfully. Via nodded her thanks.

Then Duke spoke to Wolfe. "Well, Demon, would you like to see some of the men and pokemon who you will be working with in action? I can take you to see our battle arena if you'd like," he offered.

Wolfe's eyes brightened considerably. "Oh, hell yeah!" he exclaimed excitedly. Duke grinned, pleased with his reaction apparently.

"Good! Now, if you will all follow me then! Via, you can come to if you'd like. You deserve a break every once and a while," he told them.

Via nodded in agreement, before they all followed Duke and Luna out of the cavern, and back down the main hall. As they walked, Nova took the time to reflect on what had just occurred.

 _So, they have a 'predictor,' who is a rather young espeon, and a rather pretty one at that. Wolfe and Artul don't have a visible future, yet everyone else does, probably including me and Kage. Wolfe actually got slightly upset, but then went back to being normal in almost a heartbeat. And, Via might have an admirer, though they wouldn't admit it,_ she thought.

"So, how's it going?" she heard Lura ask her suddenly, startling the poor eevee out of her thoughts. Nova turned her head towards the vaporeon, who was smiling happily at her, with her egg still hanging from her right side. Nova noticed that it was larger than before, and guessed that it had been around two weeks since it was laid, leaving two more weeks till it hatches. She felt a slight pain in her heart as she thought about that.

"Great! Better than great, actually! I mean, after all, I did get to sleep on a legitimate mattress last night," she told the beautiful vaporeon cheerfully. Lura beamed at her.

"I know exactly what you mean! While I do think it is exciting to sleep outside in a tent, as this is really the first time that I've ever done anything like this, its charm does start to wear off after a while," she told Nova.

Nova looked at her curiously. "You'd never slept outside of a house before this trip?" she asked.

Lura shook her head. "Nope! Well, actually I did one night, back when I was still a Peterson, rather than a Wolfe. The Peterson's were my first family, never knew my actual parents. Just hatched with them. They… died, a few years ago. They apparently were the first to succumb to the plague, supposedly having brought it with them to Nor after Aurumn told them he was being hired to kill them," she answered sadly.

Nova's eyes widened. "You mean to tell me that you ended up becoming mates with the man hired to kill your family?" she asked incredulously.

Lura frowned as she thought about it. "When you put it like that it seems really bad. But, he didn't kill them. He actually warned them that he was being hired to do as such, giving them a chance to live if they moved to Nor. Besides, I actually started to fall in love with him when I just knew him as Zero. I wasn't aware that he was also the Wolfe that was being hired to kill my family. I just found that out last year. But, when I finally found out, it was much to late for me to really care who he was. I didn't even know that I was in love with him for the longest time, and when I found out, I asked him if he was in love with me as well. He told me that he was, and, well, things just went from there. It also didn't hurt that's he's saved my life at least three times, once by marking me, which meant I couldn't get the plague. The second time by stopping a flying giant pokemon from crushing me, breaking his arm in the process of defending me. The third time was when I went hunting with him after Haven was founded. A pack of mightyena wanted to do… things… with me, and he and Gabe killed them," she said, before breaking off as she frowned.

Then she continued, saying, "That was the first time I saw anyone die, and also the first time that I… killed… someone…"

She trailed off with a sad sigh. Nova looked at her worriedly. "Well, it's not like you just killed an innocent pokemon. I mean, I frown upon killing in general, but if that was the only thing you could do, then that's nothing to be upset about. I don't think any less of you for it, that's for sure at least!" Nova said, attempting to comfort her. Lura smiled at her gratefully.

"Thank you, Nova. I appreciate that."

Nova nodded cheerfully. "It's no problem!"

They giggled with each other for a little bit, before Lura spoke again.

"So, how are things with you and Kage?" she asked.

Nova's grin widened. "Oh, just great! I couldn't be happier! I know that he seems kind of quiet, and I suppose he is, but once you get to know him, he starts to open up a bit more. He's also very caring, especially when it comes to me. Plus, he's rather gifted in a… certain… area," she said, whispering her last sentence.

Lura giggled again. "Well, I'm glad that you two are doing good! It's nice knowing that I'm not the only one who lucked out with a good mate! Well, other than me and Cordina I suppose."

Nova nodded again, still smiling. "So how does that work between you and her then? I mean, you and Cordina sharing the same mate. Does that make things… awkward?"

Lura shook her head, looking thoughtful. "No, it's definitely not as weird as you might think. He asked me about it before he included Cordina in our little group. Plus, I personally love her, almost as much as I do Aurumn. I also want to have him be happy, and I know that Aurumn is very… er, not sure what the correct word is. Free? Yeah, he's very 'free' with himself. But, I don't really mind as it's rather attractive when he's with another girl. So, provided he asks me and Cordina, I don't really mind if he has 'fun' with others," she told Nova.

They continued to talk and share stories as they walked, and Nova found that she was enjoying the vaporeon immensely. Just something about her made Nova want to keep chatting. She decided that she liked this pokemon,

Finally, Duke and Luna led the group off the main tunnel, and through a side one that had a rather large opening compared to the other ones. Once inside, Nova saw that they were in another, larger cavern, which seemed to be even brighter than the previous one. There were a lot of pokemon and humans there already, surrounding three battle fields that were just simple sand pits.

All three fields were currently in use, one with two humans fighting with wooden swords, another one with two pokemon, a mightyena and a furret, and the final one being occupied by two humans scuffling in the sand. As Nova watched, one of the humans wielding a wooden sword was disarmed, the furret got a lucky hit on the mightyena, sending it out of the field, and one of the humans scuffling in the sand pinned the other one.

The crowds burst into cheers and applauded the combatants' abilities and skill, with the victors smiling brightly as they accepted the praise. The losers bowed their heads, before congratulating the winners. Nova was impressed that no one seemed very upset about losing. It showed that they worked well as a group.

Duke walked towards the middle arena, wearing a large grin. "Nice job Iris!" he called to the furret, who was shaking the sand out of its pelt. She looked up at the absol as he approached, and smiled slightly. Then she spotted Cordina, who was walking next to Wolfe just behind Luna, who was behind Duke, and started to smile even wider.

"Thanks, sir!" she shouted, as she approached the group, eyes locked on Cordina. The female umbreon was frowning now, and she leaned in towards Wolfe to whisper something to him. He nodded and understanding, keeping a smile on his face. The furret came to a halt in front of them. "Hey dear, how have you been? It's been a long time since I last saw you, around three or four months. How'd your mission go?" Iris asked Cordina.

Cordina grimaced slightly. "Well, I've been good, had a few large changes in my life. I would like to introduce you to my mates, Aurumn Wolfe and Lura Wolfe," she said, gesturing towards the umbreon and vaporeon. Iris eyed them with a faint hint of disdain.

"Charmed, I'm sure," she said, eyes lingering on Lura. Then she turned back to Cordina. "But you didn't answer my question! How'd your mission go? You were sent to hire that one mercenary, weren't you? Wolfe or some…" she trailed off as she looked at the male umbreon with wide eyes. "Wait! You're that mercenary, aren't you?"

Wolfe snorted, before nodding his head. "Yes, yes I am. Aurumn Wolfe, pleased to make your acquaintance," he said.

Iris stared at him. Then she shook herself, and turned back to Cordina. "So, when are we going to do something with each other? I'd imagine that you're very stressed, I can help you with that. Help you… unwind," she said seductively.

Cordina continued to frown. "Iris, this is my _mate_. Him and Lura. If I need to 'unwind,' then one of them will take care of me."

Iris sniffed at her. "I find it rather scandalous that you become mates with someone after knowing them for under six months. I'm sure that you will tire of them eventually. I can also guarantee that I would be _much_ better for you than _her_ ," she said, flicking her tail at Lura.

Nova and Lura frowned as Cordina glared. "No, Iris," she said shortly.

Iris smiled thinly, before padding up to Cordina and winding her body around her. "Oh, I'm sure that you'll come around," she purred.

"Iris! Come on! We have a new mission, you're with me and Sam," a voice called. Nova turned around to see that the white vulpix from earlier was standing at the entrance.

"Coming, Hail!" the furret called back. She then spoke to Cordina, saying, "I'm sorry, Cordina, we'll continue this conversation later."

"Hold on a moment, Hail, Iris. I want as many people as possible to witness what I have planned next," Duke cut in. The absol then turned to Wolfe. "I actually wanted you to demonstrate your capabilities as a fighter. I would like you to have a sparring match with me."

Wolfe grinned savagely. "Oh, now that I would love to do. Rules?"

The absol grinned back. "No maiming or killing, victor is either the last one conscious or if the opponent is sent out of the arena."

Wolfe nodded. "Alright! Let's go!"

Nova watched as the center field was cleared, and Wolfe and Duke their places on opposite sides of each other, staring intently. Then Duke spoke.

"Soldiers of the Dark Army, standing across from me is the legendary mercenary, Wolfe. I have challenged him to a friendly little duel to see how good he truly is. We all know how good of a fighter I am, as I am the best among us. Considering that, I have a feeling that I know how this fight will go. Place your bets! I'm hoping for a good match!" he called out to the crowd.

There was an immediate cheer, and many voices called out encouragements. Nova heard the soldiers around her placing bets, and noticed that the majority of them were betting against Wolfe. She heard more than a few of them be rather rude as well.

"He doesn't stand a chance! Duke absolutely destroyed me within six seconds! I don't care how great this mercenary is, he's going to get destroyed," she heard a mightyena say, a few bodies away from her.

"Yeah, but that's the wolf! He's a fucking demon! My father served under him in the Memory war, he told me stories about him," a houndour replied.

"The memory war was years ago! There's no way that he's the same Wolfe," the mightyena said.

Nova mentally shrugged as she focused her attention on the fight that was about to take place. She was personally interested in it as she had never seen Wolfe fight before.

"Ready when you are!" Duke called out to Wolfe. The umbreon nodded, looking focused. "Soldiers! Give me the count down!" the absol shouted to the crowd.

"3! 2! 1! Fight!" the crowd shouted back.

Immediately, Duke sent a dark burst of energy towards Wolfe, the attack moving faster than an arrow.

Wolfe simply jumped over it. The crowd gasped.

The umbreon then sprinted towards Duke at an incredible speed, dodging any attacks Duke sent his way, of which there were many. When he reached him, Duke braced himself, knowing that he wouldn't be able to dodge as the umbreon slammed into him.

Nova heard a few gasps coming from the crowd as Duke was sent sliding back towards the edge of the arena. Then he shook himself to recover from the attack, and launched a purple blade at Wolfe from his horn. Wolfe didn't bother dodging, he just erected a clear barrier in between him and the attack, not taking any damage. Then he launched a dark ball at Duke, and was running immediately after he had fired it. Nova was impressed, as his attack was moving faster than most eyes could follow. Not hers though.

Duke wasn't able to dodge the attack, and was sent backwards even further, standing just at the edge now. He started to run towards the center, as well as towards Wolfe, with his horn lowered, only to be impacted by a dark blur.

This time he couldn't stop himself, and he was sent flying into the crowd. Wolfe stood, untouched, at the edge of the arena.

The crowd went silent as they struggled to comprehend what had just happened. The fight had only lasted 15 seconds, ending with Duke, their leader, the best fighter among them, being sent flying out of the ring. Wolfe grinned as the absol struggled to his feet, face fixed in an expression of shock.

"Told you that you wouldn't stand a chance," Wolfe said cheekily. Duke nodded, dumbly. Then he shook himself, and grinned back, though Nova saw something flash in his eyes.

"I must admit, that was very impressive. I certainly wasn't expecting that, least of all that quickly. I have to say… I'm surprised," Duke told Wolfe. Wolfe raised a paw over his chest and bowed his head sarcastically. Nova giggled, as Duke snorted in amusement.

"Round two?" Wolfe asked.

Duke rolled his shoulders. "Sure thing. I'm ready for you this time."

They set themselves up opposite of each other again. Nova noticed that Duke was set up for a more close quarters battle, as he was in a springing stance. Wolfe just sat nonchalantly, wearing a confident grin.

"I'm only going to hit you twice, alright? Then I'll let you take a nap," he called out to Duke.

The absol frowned. "We'll see about that," he said.

Again, the crowd chanted the count down. As soon as they shouted fight, Duke sprang forward, bolting towards Wolfe at a rather impressive speed, though it seemed somewhat lacking after watching Wolfe's speed. The absol twisted and lowered his head, obviously intending to slash the umbreon's side, seemingly confident in his speed.

Needless to say, this didn't go well for him. Wolfe rolled his eyes, before sidestepping and letting the absol pass. Duke displayed some rather impressive agility, as he stopped and turned in almost an instant, facing Wolfe again.

Then his blade started to glow with dark energy, and he sprinted towards Wolfe again. As soon as he got close, he started slashing with his horn, leading with a low swipe and following up with an upwards cut. He followed those up with a flurry of side swipes and jabs. Wolfe easily dodged all of them, with Duke getting angrier and angrier as his attacks kept missing. Wolfe dodged one more swipe, before he slammed a paw into the side of Duke's head, sending him tumbling away.

"So much for no maiming," Wolfe called out, taunting the absol as he got to his feet. Duke growled, apparently upset. Wolfe grinned at him. "I still got one more hit, buddy. Come at me," he taunted.

Duke snarled and charged at Wolfe recklessly, obviously done with playing fair as he scooped a pawful of sand and threw it at the umbreon's face, hoping to blind him. Nova frowned as Wolfe simply closed his eyes to avoid it. _Why does Duke seem so determined to damage Wolfe,_ she wondered?

As she watched, she noticed that Wolfe's tail had started to glow a silvery color as he avoided the absol's attacks again. He dodged a few more swipes, before whipping his body around so fast that Nova could barely follow it, connecting his glowing tail with the side of Duke's head with a loud, and sickening, crack. The absol seized up, before stumbling to his right. Then he collapsed.

The crowd stared at their fallen leader in shock, as Wolfe felt his neck for a pulse. Then he nodded to himself.

"He's alright! Just knocked senseless!" he called out.

The crowd collectively sighed in relief, before applauding and cheering Wolfe, who just gave a grandiose bow, before walking back to Nova and the rest of his group. Lura, Cordina and Nova were also applauding, sitting on their haunches and clapping their paws together. Nova figure that it was the least they could do.

"Well, that was embarrassing," Wolfe said as he got close. Two humans went and picked up the unconscious absol, before carrying him out of the arena. Nova noticed that Luna barely cast an eye towards him, instead focusing on Wolfe, smiling broadly at him. Wolfe turned to Kage. "You want to have a spar?" he asked him.

Kage looked thoughtful for a moment, before shrugging. "Sure, I don't mind. Could be interesting," he replied. Nova giggled, and nodded. It would definitely be interesting to test her brain against Wolfe.

Wolfe grinned. "Well alright! This is going to be fun!"

The two umbreons headed out onto the arena, before going to opposite sides and facing each other. Nova noticed immediately that Wolfe was treating this a lot more seriously.

"Well, seeing as our announcer is currently unconscious, I'll be taking that spot! So, this is just going to be a one round fight between me and Sin, till either one of us is knocked out or forced out of the arena. That said, can I get a count down?" Wolfe called out to the crowd.

"3! 2! 1! Fight!" came his answer. Immediately Nova felt time slow down for her as Wolfe and Kage sprinted towards each other, and she readied herself to assist Kage. She was his second set of eyes, as well as his tactic instructor. She noticed things happening, and then she tells him silently how to respond.

' _Two Shadow Balls, 15 percent protocol, chest height, one at him and one to his right. Then charge towards your right to intercept his dodge with an Iron Tail,'_ she sent him silently, and watched as he immediately responded, firing two weakened Shadow Balls in quick succession, and leading towards his right. She didn't want to injure the other umbreon, just knock him out of the arena. Wolfe responded as predicted and sidestepped left, right into Kage's glowing tail. Wolfe crashed to the side a few meters away, but immediately got up.

' _Get in close and use Valeurs, then use another Iron Tail. Aim for his head,'_ she sent.

Kage reacted immediately, charging Wolfe with a glowing tail, as Wolfe just stood there and waited. As soon as he got close to him, Kage activated one of his Eyes of Renegade special powers, called Valeurs. Valeurs slowed down time for Kage and any who he deems an ally for a short amount of time. What this meant, is that while Kage and Nova moved at a normal rate, everyone else moved for them at a slower rate. This made dodging attacks a breeze, as well as setting up powerful attacks in a fast manner.

Nova noticed everyone slowing down, even as Kage kept going at his normal pace. She smiled slightly to herself, knowing that Wolfe didn't have a chance of blocking it, as well as knowing that this attack would most likely end the fight. Kage whipped his tail around, aiming for Wolfe's head, and Nova allowed herself a small moment of congratulation, before she gasped in disbelief.

Wolfe had blocked the attack with his own Iron Tail.

 _How in the…,_ she thought to herself. Due to her shocked stupor, she couldn't give Kage any advice, which left him vulnerable. Wolfe took advantage of Kage's own surprise, and twirled around, slamming his Iron Tail into Kage's side, sending him tumbling 15 meters away.

Nova shook herself as Kage got to his feet and Wolfe charged him. _'Use your Shadow Balls, make him keep his distance,'_ she sent.

Kage responded by firing multiple Shadow Balls at Wolfe, who dodged and weaved his way around all of them, to Nova's surprise. The attacks were going as fast as Wolfe's own Shadow Balls that he had used on Duke, yet the flirty umbreon dodged them as though they were as slow as the absol's. Wolfe's tail started to glow again as he got close.

' _You're not going to be able to hit him. Wait till he gets close,'_ she sent. Kage ceased his fire and waited for the umbreon.

Once he was only a few feet away, Nova gave him more commands. _'Valeurs and dodge right. Then turn and fire a Shadow Ball at his back,'_ she ordered.

She felt time slow as Kage's Valeurs came into effect. She was surprised to see that Wolfe's speed actually increased, and that was when she realized her mistake.

Kage sidestepped to the right as ordered, but was met with Wolfe's glowing tail as it struck him face first, sending him dangerously close to the edge. _He can see when Kage is apparently moving faster, so he just makes himself move even faster than before to adjust for it. Impressive,_ she thought to herself.

' _Sprint towards the center of the arena, don't let him knock you away. Once in the center, face him and wait,'_ she ordered. Kage started sprinting to the center of the arena, with Wolfe following a few steps behind, though he was quickly gaining on Kage. Wolfe was obviously faster, but speed wasn't necessarily everything.

' _Once in center, turn and erect a Protect to block the attack. Then use Iron Tail in a backflip. Aim for under his jaw,'_ she sent.

As soon as Kage reached the center, he stopped quickly and turned around, raising a clear barrier in between him and the other umbreon in the process. Wolfe's Iron Tail slammed against it, not doing any damage to Kage. After his attack struck the Protect, Kage dropped his barrier and performed a very nice backflip, striking the opposing umbreon in an uppercut fashion with a glowing tail of his own, sending Wolfe into the air.

' _Fire a Shadow Ball, negative 30 degrees, six degrees to your left, 60 percent power'_ she ordered.

Kage fired the Shadow Ball at her given instructions, and Nova watched as Wolfe landed ten meters away from Kage, only to be struck by the Shadow Ball and sent sliding across the arena even further.

' _Done,'_ she sent, and smiled to herself. _You were impressive, Aurumn. But, unfortunately it wasn't enough,_ she thought to herself.

Wolfe got to his feet only slightly slower than before, and was about to charge at Kage, before he froze and looked at his paws. His back left paw was standing just outside of the arena. Wolfe frowned as he stared.

"Damn, I guess that means that I lost, huh?" he called out to Kage. Kage nodded silently, as Wolfe sighed again.

Then the crowd broke into cheers, everyone amazed at the impressive speed and skill that had just taken place. Wolfe just shook his head with a slight smile as he approached the other umbreon.

"Good match, my friend. I'm a little sad that it didn't last longer, but I suppose it's a small complaint," he told Kage. Kage nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it was a good match. I'm surprised that you were able to counteract my Valeurs so efficiently," Kage said, as the two umbreons made their way back towards their group. Nova nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it made it a challenge for me to come up with a good strategy," Nova added as they came to a stop in front of her. Wolfe blinked at her.

"What do you mean, you came up with a strategy?" he asked in confusion.

Nova giggled. "Whenever he fights, I'm always nearby to help him. I give him silent commands to match up with whatever is happening in the fight. I'm pretty good with strategy," she told him.

Wolfe blinked again. Then he frowned. "So, you're saying that I was technically fighting two people?" he asked.

Nova giggled again. "Well, you were fighting him. I was just acting as his brains."

Wolfe started to pout. "I think that might be considered cheating," he said.

Nova shrugged. "Not really, as that's how we normally do things. If it's any consolation, you were still a challenge. If it wasn't for the fact that my goal was to just knock you out of the arena, I would have had him use his other abilities, but it wouldn't be a for sure thing."

Wolfe continued to glare at her and Kage. "That, is definitely not fair. I was fighting against someone with an already impressive fighting prowess, who was being guided by an incredibly sexy and smart eevee. Not fair," he complained.

Nova giggled, as Kage just shrugged. "Well, on the bright side, if we ever spar again you'll be prepared," he told him.

Wolfe's eyes lit up as an idea came to him. "In that case, I want a rematch tomorrow, with certain conditions. I will be in my human form, and you will be limited to whatever abilities you used today, including Nova's strategies. If I win, I get a night with you as a sub," he said, pointing at Kage, before continuing. "If I lose, I'll be your slave for a week. I'm fairly confident that it will be a better match up."

Kage frowned, before looking at Nova. Nova blinked in surprise, before grinning. "Deal!" she exclaimed.

Kage's eyes widened. "Nova!" he complained.

She grinned at him and winked. "Don't worry baby, I won't let you down. I just think it will be interesting to have him as a slave for seven days. And if you lose, well, everyone should be dominated at some point. Make you be aware of what it's like to be me," she told him, giggling.

He frowned at her, before sighing. "Fine, deal. I hope that I don't regret this," he told them. Wolfe started to grin at them.

"Well, it'll be a pleasure to spend some quality time with you, Mr. Refuse Every Time. About time that you come around," Wolfe said with a wink.

Kage groaned loudly, as Nova and Lura giggled with each other.

"Well, that was definitely an interesting match," the white vulpix from earlier told them, having approached their group once the match had ended. "You fight well," she said to Wolfe.

Wolfe smiled and dipped his head. "Always a pleasure to get a compliment from a pretty girl. At least _someone_ notices," he replied, glaring at Kage.

The vulpix nodded. Then she turned to speak to Iris, who was sitting as close to Cordina as she could without touching her. "Iris, we need to go now. Sam is waiting for us," she said.

The furret rolled her eyes. "Yes, Hail. I'm coming. Not like you can complain, you got to ogle over Mr. Eye Candy here," she said, flicking her tail at Wolfe, who chuckled as the vulpix, Hail, started to look uncomfortable.

"Let's just go," she said, looking away. Wolfe started laughing loudly, as Nova, Lura and Cordina started giggling.

They watched as the two met up with an impatient looking human waiting at the entrance. Then they turned to Luna.

"What else is there to do, exactly?" Wolfe asked her. Luna frowned.

"Well, I'm not too terribly sure. Duke might have had some ideas, but, well… he's still out of it," she answered, flicking her tail towards the unconscious absol, who was surrounded by a group of his soldiers. "I suppose that we can just watch some more of the spars, as that was the original intention of coming here."

They all nodded in agreement, and turned to watch the fights.

They stayed there for the rest of the day, watching the soldiers spar. Nova noticed that they all seemed to be more eager than before, and guessed that witnessing Wolfe and Kage spar drove them to do better. One particular human seemed to be very motivated, as well as cocky. After he had won six matches easily, he started to brag that no one there stood a chance against him, not even Duke or Wolfe.

Wolfe obviously took this as a challenge, and had turned into his human form, much to the surprise of the people and pokemon around him. Then he entered the arena to spar with the cocky human in hand to hand.

Nova proceeded to watch as Wolfe toyed with the arrogant man, landing all of his hits where they would hurt the most, as well as dodging any blows that came his way. After leading the man on for twenty minutes, in which time the man realized that he was well and truly outmatched, as well as accruing many bruises and injuries, Wolfe slammed his fist into the man's temple, knocking him out instantly. Then he checked for his pulse, signaled that he was alright, and walked back to his group, turning into an umbreon as he went.

"Well that was just sad," he said. Artul stared at him, as did Via. Nova guessed that Artul wanted to ask him something, but apparently decided not to.

They continued to watch the matches, before getting food in the chow hall, and then heading towards their sleeping wing. Along the way, Via took her leave.

"I need to go back to my sleeping area, my partner is probably worried," she said.

Wolfe raised an eyebrow. "Partner? You mean your mate?" he asked.

She frowned and shrugged. "Haven't mated, so technically no. I suppose you could say love interest. I suppose that I probably shouldn't complain, but he… you know, never mind. I shouldn't bother you with my problems, especially after just meeting you all today. It was a sincere pleasure to do so, by the way. I look forward to seeing you all again," she told them, before bowing towards them. Then she headed down the main hall in the opposite direction.

Nova noticed that Artul was watching her as she walked, and resisted the urge to make a comment about it. One of the few times that she decided that discretion was the better part of valor.

They made it to their sleeping area, and Luna took her leave of them as well.

"I'll see you all tomorrow, I hope that you all sleep well!" she told them. They all said their goodbyes, before heading towards their own individual rooms. As Wolfe padded away with Lura and Cordina right beside him, Nova noticed Luna staring at him longingly. Then she sighed, and left their sleeping wing. Nova stared after her with some sympathy.

She and Kage went to their room, next to the Wolfe's residence, and she immediately hopped onto the bed, again with a happy squeal.

"I love beds!" she exclaimed, as Kage snorted. He hopped onto their bed, and turned to speak to her, but she cut him off by placing her lips on his, kissing him. At first, he didn't return it, but he eventually did, much to her pleasure.

He ended the kiss after a while, and just looked at her with an expression that she could only describe as love. He wasn't a very emotional man, so Nova took these moments whenever she could. As they curled up for Nova to sleep, she had one final thought before darkness overtook her.

 _I'm glad that he saved me. I'm glad that I have been able to help him through his dark times. I just wish that I could do more for him, though I know that he thinks I do so much already. I… I love him._

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 **AND I DID IT! Going to say a huge apology to you all, I admit that I struggled a lot with this chapter. Never had writers block as frequently as I did in this one. But, I got it out. Just a few days late :(.**

 **Sooooo, I introduced two OC's this chapter. Can anyone spot them? Special thanks to EatMyKitty and BobbieDOO for the character submissions. I hope you enjoyed how I introduced them, as well as what I have planned from them. Going to enjoy writing them ;)**

 **Don't think that anyone knows what to expect next chapter, but I'll give you a hint. It's a fruit that you can make a drink out of. The drink ends in "ade". I decided to do them every other chapter. One chapter of solid plot, then one chapter of plot and 'fun'. Let me know if there's anything else that you'd all like to see included!**

 **P.S. I am still taking OC submissions for those that are interested. I think I will accept five more.**

 **-Aurumn**


	17. Chapter 16: Sinful Demon

**A/N: Hey all, Aurumn here. So, nearing 3,000 views. Nice, very nice, right? Story will have been out for a month the day after I am writing this, currently anyway. Posted on January 10th. Now it's February 9th. SWEET! Because of that, I put up a new Poll. I bet you're all thinking, "Ugh, another one? Damnit, Aurumn, just write the damn story!", but, this one is different. I just want to know who everyone's favorite character is! Not much else to say, really. Well, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter! I already know what I'm going to call it. *snort***

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 **[POV: Lura, 909 BBF]**

 _ **{You will be great, my champion.}**_

Lura woke with a yawn, before snuggling back into Wolfe and Cordina. She had to admit, she absolutely loved sleeping with the two umbreons. They always kept her so warm. As for Wolfe's talk that they kept him warm, Lura noticed that he was normally the one that was sleeping around them, keeping her and Cordina warm. It was rather heartwarming.

She laid there for only about ten minutes, before she felt Cordina shift, signaling that she was awake now. Lura rotated so that they were facing each other, and watched as the umbreon blearily opened her eyes, stretched, and yawned cutely. Lura giggled.

"Good morning," she said softly.

"Mornin'," Cordina mumbled. Lura giggled again, as Wolfe suddenly tightened his body around the two of them.

"I refuse to accept that it's already morning," he grunted. Cordina snorted in amusement, before pressing a paw against his chest.

"Sorry dear, I'm afraid it doesn't work like that. Regardless of if you accept it or not, it's still morning," she told him.

He groaned. "No~," he complained, drawing the word out for a few seconds. Lura laughed at him.

"You know, we don't exactly have to move yet," Lura reasoned.

Wolfe opened one eye and looked at her with a smile. "Love, that's probably the wisest thing you've said all week," he told her happily.

"But then you would miss your duel with Kage," Cordina added. Wolfe immediately shot his head up.

"Oh yeah! Almost forgot about that! Ladies, I might need the room tonight," he said, grinning widely.

They laughed at him, as he eagerly got out of bed and leaped onto the floor, clearly excited. They followed him, putting on their egg harnesses in the process. Lura felt rather proud that their eggs were growing as much as they were. It seemed that every day, they grew bigger and bigger. Just the thought that she had a little girl growing in it made Lura smile. _I'm a mother,_ she thought. _Or at least, a soon to be mother._

They exited their room, and Wolfe immediately sat next to Kage's and Nova's door, tapping a paw impatiently. Lura and Cordina exchanged amused looks, as they sat behind him and waited patiently.

After they had waited for around 20 minutes, Lura heard sounds coming from their room. A moment later, Sin and Nova walked out, Nova smiling brightly.

"Good morning!" Nova exclaimed once she saw them. Lura giggled softly, as did Cordina.

"Good morning!" they chorused back.

"Good morning! I hope you're ready for today!" Wolfe said, looking at Sin.

The red ringed umbreon just nodded lightly. "Though I'm not sure how you'll be able to fight against me as an unarmed human," he told him.

Wolfe frowned. "I have faith! I can do it!"

Sin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Sure you can."

"Did you want me to fight as an umbreon again? Cuz I'm fairly sure that I'll win then as well."

Nova's eyes brightened. "Well now, someone's confident. What makes you so sure that you will win this time?" she asked.

Wolfe chuckled. "Because I will be prepared to deal with someone very smart. He barely won the last match, and I wasn't fully prepared to deal with that particular situation, now was I?" he answered.

Nova frowned. "Well, a win is a win, isn't it?"

Wolfe shook his head. "Nope, sometimes how you win is just as important as winning in general."

"I would disagree. A victory is a victory, after all."

Wolfe snorted in amusement. "Nova darling, I have to tell you that it is an absolute delight talking to someone as intelligent as you, mainly for the fact that we can actually have semi-intelligent conversations," he told her cheerfully.

Nova giggled, and nodded in understanding. Lura smiled at their antics. It was always so entertaining whenever Wolfe interacted with anyone. One of the reasons that she loved him so much.

"Alright, Kage, you and I have a date," Wolfe said to Sin after a few moments of silence.

The red ringed umbreon groaned. "Ugh, fine. Let's get this over with," he replied.

Wolfe nodded with a grin, before turning tail and exiting their sleeping wing, with Lura, Cordina, Sin, and Nova following. Lura glanced at Cordina out of the corner of her eye and smiled. She saw her smile back, and just felt happy.

As soon as they exited the wing, Lura immediately heard a grunt as Wolfe collided with another person. She peeked around the doorway and let out a giggle as she saw Wolfe completely entangled with Luna, who was apparently just about to enter their area.

"Good morning hon, sorry about that!" Wolfe exclaimed from underneath her. Luna laughed lightly, though Lura noticed something cross her face at his words.

"Don't worry about it Aurumn, that was my fault. Oops!" she replied.

He chuckled softly, before untangling them from each other. After he had done that, he smiled and winked at Luna, causing Cordina's mom to blush slightly. "Well now that you're here, you can guide us to the sparring arena we were at yesterday!" he said cheerfully.

Luna shook herself, and frowned at him. "Why did you want to go there? Oh, and I was also coming to tell you that Duke still hasn't woken up yet. You got him pretty good," she stated.

Wolfe raised an eyebrow. "Meh, he deserved it. Didn't like his superior attitude."

"He's really not that bad, Aurumn. You two just didn't have the best of introductions."

Wolfe snorted. "No, that's not it at all. Sure it wasn't the best of first impressions, but the real problem is that he sees himself as the alpha male around here. I don't like other alphas. And he knows that I won't ever submit to him, either. So, he just acts like an ass to me."

Luna frowned again. "I wish that you would try and give him another chance. He's a good pokemon! He is! He just… is kind of territorial…" she trailed off.

Wolfe frowned at her. "Luna, why exactly do I need to get along with him in the first place?"

She smiled at him, eyes brightening slightly. "Because I want my old mate and my new mate to get along with each other!" she said cheerfully.

Wolfe kept frowning, as her smile faltered. "Luna, why would that matter in the slightest?" he asked her in a cold tone.

She jerked her head back as though she had been struck. Then she lowered her head so that her beautiful eyes were focused on the ground. "I… I'm sorry… I just thought that since you two had something in common that you would like to be near each other a bit more…" she trailed off.

Wolfe shook his head softly. "Luna, the absolute only thing we have in common would be that we both had some form of a relationship with you. While that is true, that was a long time ago. At the moment, you aren't as important in my life anymore as you are in his. What that means, is that I have no reason to want to like him."

She jerked her head back again, before looking up at him. Lura saw that there were tears in her eyes. "Do I really mean so little to you now? Are you upset with me? Did I do something wrong?" she cried.

Lura saw Wolfe close his eyes and breathe in deeply. Then he slowly exhaled through his mouth. "Cordina, can you take the group to the sparring arena? I need to have a conversation with Luna," he told the group quietly.

Cordina nodded, before flicking her tail in a gesture for the others to follow her. As Lura padded after her, she turned her head back to look at Wolfe, who was standing in front of the crying umbreon. Then she focused ahead, lost in thought.

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

He watched the group disappear in the shadows, before turning his attention back to Luna, who was looking at the ground again, sniffling softly. He mentally sighed. _Way to go demon, you're really making her feel special now. Asshole,_ he chastised himself.

He placed a paw against her cheek gently, trying to fight against the turmoil of emotions inside of him. He honestly didn't know how to feel. He stroked her cheek gently, feeling her press her face against his paw. "Luna, love. Stop crying, please. I didn't necessarily mean it like that," he told her gently.

She sniffed again, before nodding slowly. Then she breathed in deeply, and exhaled slowly. Then she looked up at Wolfe again, eyes still brimming with tears. "What did I do wrong?" she asked softly.

Wolfe sighed, before gesturing for her to follow him. She did, padding after him as he headed back towards his room. When he got inside, he gestured for her to hop on the bed. She did so, sitting down with her tail wrapped around her front paws as she looked down at the mattress.

He jumped up beside her, before sitting down next to her and wrapping his tail around her, bringing her in close to his chest. She sniffed again, before leaning into him, burying her face in his chest fur as it dried her tears.

"How come you don't love me anymore?" she asked, voice muffled by his fur.

He sighed again. "Luna, I never said I didn't love you. My affections aren't so wanton as to disappear entirely, just after not seeing someone for an admittedly long time. If anything, I love you more than when we were actually mates. You see, I thought you died. I thought I watched you die. That just placed you in my thoughts and heart more firmly than anyone else, barring maybe Lura. There hasn't been a day that's gone by without you entering my thoughts at least once. I never stopped loving you, Luna, not for a minute," he told her gently.

He felt her stiffen in surprise at his words, pulling away to look at him in wonderment. "How do I know that you're telling the truth?" she asked quietly.

He smiled at her slightly, before lowering his mouth to hers and kissing her, much to her obvious pleasure as she kissed him back. He maintained their contact for a while, not rushing anything at all, just enjoying her company, breathing in her scent and loving her touch. It had destroyed him when he thought he lost her.

And now it was destroying him that she had another mate.

Finally, he broke away, and placed his chin on her head softly. "Whatever happens, Luna, just know that I will always love you. Now and forever. But we can't have the same relationship that we had before. Not with you having a new mate, particularly one who is as possessive as Duke is."

She moved her head out from under his and stared up at him hopefully. "But why not? Duke doesn't have to know! Neither does Cordina or Lura! It would just be our little secret!"

Wolfe shook his head. "I couldn't keep that from Luna or Cordina. Lura would probably be alright with you and I do whatever, but not your daughter."

"Then tell Lura, nut don't tell Cordina! Please, Aurumn, do this for me! I… I love you! Possibly more than Duke… You were my first love, Aurumn. You mean so much to me. So much…" she trailed off, starting to cry as she deemed her situation hopeless by Wolfe's gaze.

He sighed again, before kissing her once more. "I'll think about it, alright? I'm not going to make any promises, but I will definitely think about it. I'll speak with Lura as well," he told her once he broke away.

Her eyes began to glisten with hope. "That's all that I can ask for," she told him breathlessly, before leaning up and kissing him again.

 **[POV: Lura]**

"There they are!" Lura exclaimed as she saw Luna and Wolfe enter the battle area. She stood on her hind legs, balancing with her thick tail as she waved her paw at them. Wolfe locked eyes with her, and she saw him break into a wide grin as he laughed. Then he started bounding towards her cheerfully.

Lura was about to drop back down onto all fours, when Wolfe suddenly disappeared and reappeared right in front of her. She let out a squeak as he lovingly tackled her onto her back, nuzzling her furiously.

"You have no idea, absolutely _no_ idea, how adorable you are Lura," he told her, growling playfully.

Lura giggled, before wrapping her was around him as best she could, hugging him and nuzzling him back. "Well, thank you I suppose," she said, laughing.

He peered up at her, before adjusting himself so that he was laying on top of her, staring down at her with amusement in his eyes. She smiled back, as he leaned down to kiss her. She let out a happy murr as he did so, enjoying him as always.

Then he broke away and winked at her. "Lura, I love you. Never change," he told her. She giggled at him, before licking his chin and rubbing her head against it.

"I love you too," she said happily.

Wolfe held her against him for a moment, then hopped off of her and looked at the rest of the group, who were all grinning at him.

"Sorry about that, sometimes she's just too adorable to not cuddle. Like that there. She's an evil seductress I tell ya. She knows I can't resist her adorableness, so she just teases me with it," he told them, eyeing Lura out of the corner of his eye.

She and Nova giggled, before Nova spoke. "Oh, I can tell! I mean, just look at her devious expression!" she exclaimed, pointing a paw at Lura. Lura just blinked at her and tilted her head in confusion.

Wolfe immediately groaned and hid his face in his paws as he laid down. "To damn cute~" he groaned, voice muffled by his paws. Nova giggled again. Then Wolfe shot his head up and stared at Sin.

"Kage, let's have this spar! I need something manly now, after witnessing that," he said, nodding at Lura.

Sin chuckled softly, and shook his head. "Alright, let's go," he replied.

He and Wolfe padded back out to the now clear arena. Lura had been slightly surprised to see how many members of the Dark Army were there so early in the morning. _Well, I suppose it's actually pretty close to noon,_ she thought. _So, I guess that it really isn't too terribly unexpected._

As Wolfe and Kage took their places, Lura noticed a new pokemon approach their group. At first, she didn't recognize it, but as it sat next to her, she realized that it was a growlithe. She shifted uncomfortably, wondering why it was so close to her. She shifted towards her group, and was relieved when it didn't move any closer.

Then she turned her attention back to the arena. Wolfe and Kage were now facing off against each other, with Wolfe in his human form. Lura gave a little wriggle of excitement as she saw this. The last time she'd seen him fight as a human had been very interesting, not to say a little scary.

Yet, she was still excited to see this spar. She really wished that Wolfe would teach her how to fight again. But, she understood that they had been busy recently. So, she didn't hold it against him. As if she could.

They stood facing off against each other as Luna walked towards the edge of the arena. Then she called out in a clear voice, saying, "Soldiers of the Dark Army, you are in for yet another treat today. Before you, you see the great mercenary Aurumn Wolfe, and against him you see another great mercenary, Kage Reign, known as Sin. This is a rematch of yesterday, so without further ado, give me the count!"

The crowd immediately responded with a count down. As they reached one, Lura noticed that Nova appeared to be incredibly focused, and remembered what the argument yesterday was about. Apparently, Nova was _very_ smart when it comes to tactics. Then the crowd shouted, "Fight!"

Immediately, Sin moved incredibly quickly darting around to the edge of Wolfe, moving almost faster than she could follow. She remembered this from yesterday, how sometimes Kage would start to move way faster than what should be possible. He launched several Shadow Balls at Wolfe, who simply dodged them all and waited.

Then Kage ran at him, with his tail glowing brightly. She noticed Wolfe grinning, and knew somewhat what to expect. As the four-foot tall umbreon neared him, Kage suddenly leaped into the air, swinging his tail to try to hit Wolfe in the head.

Wolfe reached up a hand faster than she could see, and grabbed his tail. Then he slung him off to the side, already sending the umbreon dangerously close to the edge. Then Wolfe lowered his center and got in a defensive ready position.

Kage shook himself as he got to his feet quickly, and fired two Shadow Balls at the human, who dodged them. After firing two more Shadow Balls, Kage sprinted towards Wolfe again, tail glowing once more. As he neared, Lura saw him suddenly disappear again, and reappeared with his glowing tail in Wolfe's grip. The two struggled against each other for a few moments, until Kage suddenly spun out of Wolfe's hands.

Then he fired a shadow ball at point blank range into Wolfe's stomach. Lura winced, expecting to see Wolfe go flying. However, she was surprised to see that he didn't even appear to be affected in the slightest. Then she saw a glowing barrier in front of his chest, and gasped slightly. _How did he activate a Protect?! He's in human form!_

Then Wolfe swept his left foot low across the ground, forcing Kage to jump to avoid it. He was then promptly met with Wolfe's fist into his side, sending the umbreon flying across the arena towards the edge. This time, Wolfe didn't wait for Kage to recover, and immediately he started sprinting towards the downed umbreon.

Kage got to his feet quickly, and leaped away from the edge, narrowly dodging Wolfe's next blow. Before he could capitalize on Wolfe's miss, Wolfe performed a very beautiful backflip, turning his momentum immediately in the opposite direction.

"He fights well. For a human, anyway," a masculine voice spoke in her ear, causing her to flinch and stop focusing on the sparring match. Sitting next to her, eyes focused on the arena, was the growlithe from earlier. Lura shifted her paws uncomfortably, wondering why he was speaking to her.

"Yeah, he's an awesome fighter," she mumbled.

The growlithe nodded, and then looked at her. "So, what's a beautiful 'mon such as yourself doing here?" he asked her.

Lura shifted again. "Well, at the moment I'm just watching the spar. Might I ask who you are?" she asked back.

He nodded and grinned at her. "Ah, where are my manners. My name is Devon O'Press, at your service," he replied, winking at her. This only made Lura even more uncomfortable, though she didn't let it show and just smiled at him.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. O'Press," she told him respectfully.

He nodded, before looking at her curiously. "So, what's your name, gorgeous?" he asked her.

She quickly turned her face towards the arena again, blushing slightly. "Oops! My bad, I probably should have told you. Anyway, I'm Lura Wolfe," she replied.

He nodded, looking at the fight again. "A beautiful name for a beautiful pokemon," he said.

She shifted uncomfortably. Then he looked at her again. "So, Lura, what do you say that we disappear for a while? I'm sure we'd be able to entertain each other more than this admittedly stale fight," he said suggestively.

Lura stiffened, and kept her gaze on the arena. "I'm sorry, Mr. O'Press, but I happen to have a mate," she said shortly.

He grinned at her. "Please, call me Devon. I insist," he told her.

"As I said, Mr. O'Press, I have a mate."

He frowned, before grinning again. "And I have a girlfriend, but that doesn't stop me, now does it?"

She frowned, starting to feel very anxious. "Sorry, Devon. I'm not interested. Now, can you please go away?"

He kept his grin. "Come now, I'm just being friendly. There's no need to be rude," he told her.

She shook her head, refusing to speak again. She looked back at Wolfe and realized that he was looking at her with a concerned expression. She discreetly gestured with a paw for him to hurry up. He nodded shortly.

Then he suddenly disappeared, before reappearing behind Kage. The he closed his eyes, and his something dark flashed I front of him, forcing Lura to blink and look away. When she looked at the arena again, Wolfe was the only one standing there. She blinked, and followed his gaze. Laying on his side well outside of the arena looking stunned, was Kage. She blinked in surprise, before turning her gaze to Nova, whose mouth was agape in amazement.

Even the growlithe next to her had stopped his flirting and hitting on her, staring at Wolfe in surprise. Then he shook himself. "Who is he?" he asked Lura, no longer trying to get her to disappear with him.

She giggled slightly. "My mate," she said, as Wolfe suddenly flashed into his umbreon form and trotted over to Lura lazily.

Devon shook himself, and looked at her, before looking at Wolfe again. Once Wolfe was fairly close, he turned back towards Lura. "Well, if you'd excuse me, I'll be taking my leave now. I hope that we can continue this conversation later, in perhaps a more… private, place," he told her suggestively.

Lura frowned at him. "Or not. Please, Devon, don't try anything with me. I won't ever say yes," she replied. Devon frowned, and opened his mouth to say something, before Wolfe cut him off.

"And what did you think of that, my love?" he asked her cheerfully, as he wrapped his tail around her possessively, completely ignoring the growlithe. Devon growled, softly.

Lura smiled in relief at Wolfe, rubbing against him affectionately. "I thought it was great, dear. You never cease to impress," she told him honestly. Devon growled again, before turning tail and trotting away.

Once he was gone, Lura let out a deep sigh of relief, pressing against Wolfe firmly. "Thank you so much for rescuing me there," she thanked him.

He nodded, kissing her cheek affectionately. "I'll always be there when you need me," he promised. The he looked in the direction that Devon had disappeared to. "What was up with him, anyway?"

Lura growled softly. "His name is Devon O'Press, and he wanted me to disappear with him for a little bit of 'fun'. I refused and told him that I had a mate. He then told me that he didn't care, and that he had a girlfriend. Apparently, he wasn't too bothered with cheating on her," she answered with a huff.

Wolfe frowned. "Well, I'll be sure to watch out for him for a while. Don't want him getting any ideas, this sexy vaporeon ass of yours is mine and only mine. I'll only share with a select few," he told her, nodding once.

Lura blushed, and giggled. "Oh, it's yours now, is it?" she asked cheekily.

He lowered his muzzle to her neck and bit her gently. "You bet it is," he said huskily.

"While this is certainly a heartwarming and arousing display of affection, do you mind telling me how you did that?" Nova asked, interrupting their conversation. Wolfe looked at her with a small frown.

"What do you mean?" he asked back.

She huffed in annoyance, as Kage approached them, looking disturbed. "How the match was super close, with no side gaining any hand over the other, and then you suddenly teleport and send him out of the arena like it was nothing," she explained. Kage nodded in agreement.

Wolfe's expression cleared, and he started to look a bit sheepish. "Sorry about that, Kage. I did want the match to last a bit longer, but Lura here needed me," he told him.

Nova frowned, before walking up to Wolfe and smacking his nose. Wolfe blinked, shook his head, and sneezed, before frowning at the eevee.

"What did you want, sexy little Nova?" he asked playfully. She growled at him.

"You didn't answer my question! How did you do that? Also, how the hell did you use a Protect while in human form?" she yelled at him.

His nose twitched in amusement. "You know, you are _way_ too sexy when you're angry, you know that? Makes me want to have some 'fun'. Any ways, to answer your question Miss Impatient, my form doesn't affect my abilities. So, that was a very simple answer for the Protect. Now, as for me just 'teleporting,' as you call it, that's one of the advantages for me with my mark. If anyone I have marked is in the vicinity, I can teleport at will. That way, I can protect them fully from any threats," he told her.

She opened her mouth and formed an 'Oh,' before shaking herself and glaring at him again. "How come you didn't tell us about that? And what was that dark energy at the end that sent Kage out of the arena?"

He smiled at her. "You never asked. It's not nice to have someone hide an advantage from you, now is it? As for that dark energy, that's my own personal move. Doesn't really have a name, but it's rather similar to a Dark Pulse. But, not quite. It's non-lethal, though I suppose it could kill someone if used incorrectly. But, it is what it is."

She blinked. Then she frowned at him. "That wasn't very nice," she complained. Wolfe chuckled at her.

"No, no it wasn't. But, you'll survive!"

Kage was looking thoughtful now. He looked at Wolfe curiously. "What does your mark do exactly? Like, for whoever you have marked?" he asked.

Wolfe turned his attention to the red ringed umbreon. "Well, it does quite a bit. For one, it tells me where the person marked is at, no matter the distance. That actually goes both ways, meaning that they can also tell where I'm at. If someone is marked and they're in any pain, I can take their pain into myself, relieving them of it entirely. That's actually a rather new effect. I can also teleport around whoever is marked, within a certain distance anyway. But, if I sense someone is in trouble and I'm half a continent away, I can teleport to them instantly. I can also tell when something bad is about to happen to someone I have marked. The other final thing to mention is that I can communicate with whoever is marked via telepathy, even if they're a dark type. The rather neat thing about my mark, is that it develops. What that means, is every time that I die, my mark gains something new. That's why it hurts those marked. It's changing their biological structure, and all that fancy shit," he told him.

Kage blinked, and nodded, looking thoughtful again. "What did it gain the last time you died?"

Wolfe smiled brightly. "Well, enhanced abilities, both physical and mental. I haven't tested that out yet, so I don't know to what extent, but basically Lura and Cordina are a cut above the normal eeveelutions because of that."

Lura's eyes widened in surprise. "I didn't know that!" she exclaimed.

Wolfe chuckled, and kissed her neck affectionately. "You didn't ask," he answered. Then he turned back to Kage, this time with Wolfe looking thoughtful as well.

"Kage, I don't normally offer this, point in fact I have only a couple times, but would you like to receive my mark? The only downside to having it, is that if I'm ever touching you, I will know everything that you are feeling, both that of which you are aware, and that of which you are not. Also, you might be a teensy bit more affectionate towards me," Wolfe offered.

Kage's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Wolfe. "You would do that for me?" he asked, unbelieving. Wolfe nodded.

"Yes, yes I would. This way, if you ever need my help you can just ask, and I'll be there," he answered, before looking at Nova. "If you'd like, I can give you one as well."

Nova thought about it, but then shook her head. "No, sorry. I'm not sure that I would be comfortable with that kind of connection with anyone but Kage," she said.

Wolfe nodded understandingly, obviously expecting that answer. Then he looked at Kage again. "So, what do you say? I can also tell you that you'll pass out for at least twelve hours after I mark you, if you decide to accept. I know you don't sleep, Kage, but I think it would be helpful for you. Don't worry, it'll be the most restful sleep that you've never had," he said, with a slight grin at his word play.

Kage hesitated, and looked at Nova. They stared at each other for a long time, before Kage gave a definitive nod, and turned back to Wolfe. "Alright, I'll accept your offer. And… thank you, Aurumn. I appreciate this," he told him.

Wolfe smiled. "No problem, old friend."

They all sat there for a while after that, watching the matches as they took place. The day passed by rather quickly for Lura, as she was kept entertained all day, and was constantly cuddling with Wolfe or Cordina, or both of them. It was… nice.

Later in the day, when the group was taking a break, Luna spoke to Wolfe about some business.

"Aurumn, I should inform you that you'll be leaving on your first mission in a week's time. It'll be a rather simple one, but I'll tell you the details later. But, for now, I would like you to start familiarizing yourself with the pokemon who will be joining you. Her name is Gale Valentine, and I believe that you actually already met her. Normally, I would send Cordina with you as well, but, since she has an egg, I don't think that would be a good idea. So, she'll be staying here until it hatches and the kit gets settled in," Luna told Wolfe.

Wolfe nodded, all business. "Alright, I can agree with that actually. Now, this… Gale, was it? I don't think that I've ever met her, to be honest."

Luna frowned, and then her expression cleared. "Oh, that's right! You only were introduced to her using her code name. She's a white vulpix, goes by the name of Hail," she clarified.

Wolfe's eyes brightened considerably. "Oh, that complimentative little cutie! I remember her! Well now, this should be fun!" he exclaimed.

Luna frowned at him. "What you do on your own time is your business, but there's no 'fun' while on a mission. One of our rules," she told him.

Wolfe frowned. "Awh, that's no fun. Going to be spending a lot of alone time with a pretty vulpix and can't even play. Boring~," he groaned. Lura giggled with Cordina behind a paw, as Luna sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, just focus on the mission, alright? Not her tail end."

Wolfe winked at her. "I make no promises."

She groaned loudly, as Lura giggled again.

The rest of the day was passed even quicker, until finally, it was time to turn in for the night. Luna led them back to their sleeping area, where she was about to take her leave until Wolfe stopped her.

"Luna, would there be a trainer around here? I want to give Artul some lessons, but I can't be here all the time. So, it would be helpful if someone could teach him how to fight and use his abilities while I'm not around," he said to her.

Luna didn't even hesitate and nodded. "Yes, yes there is. I'll introduce him to you tomorrow. He's slightly gaining in age, but he's still a very impressive fighter. He'd be perfect for teaching Artul, as he's an electric type as well," she told him.

Wolfe nodded. "Alright, thank you. Now, had Duke woken up yet?"

Luna shook her head with a slight smile. "No, you got him pretty good. Our doctors don't expect him to wake up till some point tomorrow. While I should probably be upset with you for that, I have to say that he kind of deserved it. But, no matter. I'll leave you all to your own devices, alright?"

They nodded in agreement, as she took her leave of the group. Lura watched as she went, and found herself slightly warming to her. But then again, she warmed up to everyone rather quickly. Except that Devon guy. Something about him just rubbed her the wrong way.

Wolfe then turned to Lura and Cordina. "Sorry ladies, but I'm going to need some alone time with Mr. Sexy over here. After all, I did earn my reward! Nova, do you mind if they sleep in your room tonight?" he asked.

Nova shrugged, fighting back a laugh. "Sure! It'll be our own little girls party! Who knows, maybe we'll have some fun while you two go at it," she replied with a wink at Lura and Cordina. They giggled together, as Wolfe shrugged. Then he turned to Kage.

"Well, are you ready for some 'fun' tonight?" he asked cheerfully.

The other male umbreon sighed. "I was hoping that you would forget," Kage muttered.

Wolfe shook his head, grinning. "Nope, not with an opportunity like this! I've asked you repeatedly before, and you always refused. But, a deal's a deal! I won, so I get some 'fun'!"

Kage groaned loudly. "I have a feeling this nights going to suck."

Wolfe frowned. "Don't be like that. Trust me, I'm pretty sure that you'll enjoy it. I'll mark you afterwards anyway, so at the very least you can expect a decent night's sleep tonight."

Kage sighed again. "Whatever, let's just get this over with," he muttered.

Wolfe groaned, and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You'll enjoy it. Maybe not at first, but as time goes on. I had Gabe bring over something to help you out, so all you have to do is just get your sexy ass inside the room."

Lura giggled as she watched the two males disappear into their room, Wolfe's tail swishing happily. _Looks like he's been wanting to do this for a long time,_ she thought, before heading into Nova and Kage's room with Cordina and Nova.

 **VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

 **LEMON WARNING: M/M**

 **[Third Person POV]**

"Alright, so I know this will be your first time receiving. Now, that doesn't mean that I'll go super easy on you. You're a tough guy, you can handle a bit of pain. But, I also want this to be fun for you as well. So, we can take breaks whenever you'd like," Wolfe said as they approached the bed. Kage eyed a random bowl that was placed on the center of the mattress.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing a paw at the bowl. Wolfe grinned.

"That, my sexy individual, is what's going to make this nicer for you. Won't be as painful for you to take it up your ass with that, as opposed to without it," he replied.

Kage grimaced slightly and sighed. "Alright, let's just get on with it. How do you want me?" he asked.

Wolfe frowned at him. "I said that I want you to enjoy this as well. So, we'll start off with something for you. Just get on the bed and lay on your back. I'll take good care of you," he told him.

Kage nodded, before jumping on the bed and laying down onto his side, then rolling onto his back. Wolfe jumped up beside him, and made his way towards him.

Once he got close, Wolfe lowered his head to Kage's crotch. He noticed that the other umbreon didn't even appear to be slightly aroused. _I'll just have to fix that, now won't I?_ He put his muzzle close to his sheath, and started to lick it sensually.

Kage stiffened slightly as he felt himself becoming aroused, despite how against he had been with mating with another male. He stared down at Wolfe as his member started to make an appearance, growing to its full length within moments. Wolfe raised his gaze to make eye contact with Kage, before slowly dragging his tongue along his length, all the way to the tip.

Kage felt his breathing start to increase as the male licked him. He'd never had another person except Nova do anything like this with him, and it was a little… odd, to say the least. But that didn't mean that it didn't feel good. He let out a slight grunt as Wolfe's tongue crested his tip, never leaving contact with him. He just stared back at Wolfe as he paused, slightly annoyed that the male had stopped.

Then Wolfe winked at him, before taking Kage's dick into his mouth, not breaking eye contact for a second. Kage let out another grunt as he felt his member enter Wolfe's warm and wet mouth. Wolfe proceeded to lower his head towards Kage's crotch, lips sealed tightly around the rod in his mouth. He didn't normally give blowjobs like this, and he never offered. But when he did give one, he always gave it his best effort.

He resisted the urge to gag as the cock pressed against the back of his throat, adjusted himself slightly, and then lowered his head even more, though this time Kage was going down his throat. He had to admit, he did enjoy the feeling of someone's dick fucking his throat. Something about it was just a big turn on for him. Once his lips reached Kage's sheath, he paused for a moment, staring into Kage's eyes with amusement.

He could see lust written all the way across the other male's face, and he knew that his actions were being appreciated. He waited until Kage started to growl slightly, before winking again. Then he started to bob his head on his dick, pulling it out about halfway, before forcing it down his throat again. He felt Kage start to hump into his mouth as well, making his cock go even deeper inside of Wolfe's mouth, and he started to put more effort into it, licking the underside of Kage's member, as well as the sides.

Kage growled softly as he felt Wolfe's tongue wrap around his cock. _Damnit, he's actually good at this,_ he thought lustfully. He placed his paws on the back of Wolfe's head, and used them to force the male's head down even more forcefully. He started to pant slightly, feeling like he was getting close, when Wolfe suddenly stopped his actions, and forced his head off of his dick. Kage growled again, louder this time, and Wolfe simply chuckled.

"Not yet, big boy. I just wanted to make sure that you were well and truly turned on. If you want me to finish, you'll have to work for it," Wolfe told him. Kage frowned at him, before sighing.

"Fine. What do you want me to do?" he asked.

Wolfe grinned at him. "I want you to present your sexy ass to me," he said cheerfully.

Kage sighed, and nodded. He got to his paws and positioned himself in the classic quadruped stance, chest lowered to the ground, ass high in the air, and tail raised to reveal his virgin tailhole to the other male, with his own member hanging freely between his legs.

Wolfe smiled as he saw his prize. He used his psychic to move the bowl that was on the mattress closer to them, before approaching Kage's raised rear. He took a moment to appreciate his puckered anal ring, before he scraped his tongue across it.

Kage grunted again as he felt Wolfe's tongue on his anus, unsure of how he felt about it. It was just… weird. Then his eyes widened slightly as Wolfe's tongue entered him, and started exploring his untouched entrance. Then he felt the tongue withdraw for a moment, and then plunge back into him. Wolfe continued tongue-fucking the other male for a while, before he removed himself from him entirely. Then Kage felt him rub something against his tailhole, and grimaced slightly. The Wolfe pulled away again, before suddenly mounting Kage, causing the red ringed umbreon to grunt in surprise again.

"Not going to lie, I've been wanting to do this to you for a _very_ long time. Ever since you started training me. It's about time that my patience paid off," Wolfe whispered in his ear seductively. Then Kage felt Wolfe's tip press against his tailhole, and braced himself.

"Just relax, it'll be a lot better for you," Wolfe continued, before slowly and steadily forcing himself into Kage's asshole.

Wolfe moaned as he felt Kage's tight ass around his member for the first time. "Holy fuck, you are _tight_!" he exclaimed as he penetrated him. Kage groaned slightly. "This was _so_ worth the wait," Wolfe panted, finally coming to a rest all the way inside of the other male.

He kept himself there for a while, just enjoying the sheer pleasure of Kage's tailhole. He felt the umbreon shift slightly underneath him, attempting to adjust to the large dick in his ass. Then Wolfe pulled himself all the way out, wanting to feel the same pleasure as before, when he first entered him. He pressed his tip against Kage's anus once more, and then slammed himself into him as hard as he could, causing Kage to rock forward and grunt, while Wolfe moaned loudly.

"Damn Kage, you are _good_ ~" he moaned, before starting to piston his dick in and out of the male, pulling out about halfway and slamming himself in again. Wolfe started to pant slightly, as he fucked Kage's ass. He heard Kage release a few grunts in between his thrusts, and decided that the red ringed umbreon wasn't participating enough. He dug his claws into the side of him, and started to pull the umbreon back into his crotch as he thrust into him, forcing himself deeper.

Kage groaned as he felt Wolfe's claws dig into him, feeling more aroused than he had the entire night. He started to help Wolfe out a little, forcing his body back into the umbreon in time with each thrust and pull. He heard Wolfe moan his name softly.

"Turn your head back towards me," Wolfe ordered.

Kage obliged, turning his head to face the male fucking him, and was immediately met with Wolfe's lips pressing against his as he pounded away at him. His eyes widened slightly and he hesitated. He thought about pulling his head away, but in the end decided to just return the little affection. So he closed his eyes and kissed back.

Then he felt Wolfe's tongue lick his lips, and hesitated again. Then he allowed the male to enter his mouth with his tongue, and felt Wolfe explore him.

Wolfe moaned into Kage's mouth, more than pleased that the umbreon had returned his kiss. It also didn't hurt that he was still thrusting balls deep into him. As he fucked the male's ass, he couldn't help but notice that Kage felt better than Ellis or Tal. Definitely his number one male lay.

He started to pant into Kage's maw, and picked up his thrusting pace, going in harder and pulling out faster, fucking the umbreon recklessly. He felt Kage start to slam his ass back into his crotch even harder, and guessed that he was starting to get into it. He decided that he wouldn't knot him until he orgasmed first, just so he could tease him later. He felt Kage's ass clench around his dick a few times, and almost lost it. But he didn't and kept fucking him.

He felt Kage's breath pick up into his mouth, and knew that he was getting close. The blow job earlier probably helped with things as well, as he had intentionally stopped when he was getting close, for this very reason. He grinned into the other male, and started to rut him as hard as he could, forcing the umbreon's body forward with every thrust as Kage grunted into him.

He felt Kage's ass clench around him a few more times, before he broke their kiss and groaned loudly as he came onto the bed beneath him. Wolfe grinned, slammed his muzzle back onto Kage's, and thrust into him all the way to his knot, before grinding it into the male's ass, tying them together as he knotted him.

Kage groaned as he felt Wolfe's sperm fill his ass, being forced to accept it all as it couldn't escape from him due to Wolfe's knot blocking his tailhole's entrance. He was slightly surprised at the amount that Wolfe was pumping into him, but even more surprised that he had orgasmed like that himself.

Wolfe continued to fill him for the next five minutes, during which time Kage felt as though his stomach were expanding slightly, though he knew it wasn't. Finally, he felt Wolfe's dick throb in him one more time and shoot out one last load, before the male was done. However, Wolfe didn't stop kissing him after he had finished, and Kage was starting to wonder why that was. Then Wolfe broke the kiss and grinned at him.

"Damn Kage! That was way better than I had thought it would be. But, don't think that you're done yet. That was only round one. I expect that I'll be knotting your incredibly sexy and _incredibly_ tight ass around eight more times. Of course, if you want to, I'll let you fuck my mouth in between one of those time, just to give you a little break. However, you won't be mounting my rear tonight. We'll save that for a different night," Wolfe told him with a wink. Kage just sighed slightly.

Then he groaned loudly, and braced himself as he felt Wolfe's knot deflate. Wolfe then picked up right where he left off, fucking the umbreon into the night.

 **LEMON END**

 **VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

"Whew!" he exclaimed, panting as he collapsed next to Kage. Then he shook himself, got to his feet, and looked at the other umbreon as he struggled to his feet. Kage shook his body slightly.

"Damn, don't you have a limit?" he asked.

Wolfe grinned and shrugged. "Probably not. I just know that if I want to mark you tonight, we need to move rather quickly. The moon needs to be out for me to do so," he explained.

Kage just rolled his shoulders and nodded. "Alright, let's do that right now then. You said that I'll be knocked out?"

Wolfe nodded, before jumping off the bed and padding towards the door, with Kage following close behind. "Yes, you will. But, it'll be a good change of pace for you. I'll take whatever bad thoughts and emotions that you have in yourself tonight, into me. That way, you'll be able to enjoy your sleep."

"Are you sure that that's such a good idea? I don't sleep for a reason, Wolfe. I'm pretty sure that those dark thoughts of mine will affect you rather strongly."

Wolfe didn't respond as they entered the hall and made towards Gabe's room. Once there, he pushed it open, knowing that the gallade was waiting to teleport them outside of the compound. Gabe saw them enter, nodded, and then closed his eyes. Wolfe's surroundings suddenly blinked out of existence, before they came back, though this time he was standing on top of a mountain, under the clear night sky.

He smiled as he saw the moon. "Kage, I guarantee that your emotions won't affect me in the slightest," he finally told the other umbreon, before turning to look at him, face serious. "You see, my emotions are already fucked up. Nothing anyone can do about that. I have a pretty shitty past, something that I think you can understand. That essentially destroyed my emotions. While I can still feel them, they're so convoluted and twisted that it's almost impossible to make sense of them. Hell, even Gabe has a hard time of it, and he's a fucking psychic type. Trust me, my friend. Just throwing in a few more emotions won't matter in the slightest. I'll still be fucked up."

Kage was silent, digesting Wolfe's words. Then he shook himself. "Alright, I'll accept that you know what you're doing. Now, what do I need to do?" he asked.

Wolfe smiled. "I need you to look at the moon for me, and clear your mind. Focus only on the moon."

Kage nodded, and did as instructed, sitting down to look at the moon.

"Alright, now, I want you to keep looking at the moon, but focus on me as well. Just me and the moon. Nothing else."

Kage nodded again.

Wolfe waited for a moment, before sitting in front of the other umbreon. "Alright, now, I'm going to touch you now. Just keep focusing on the moon and me, alright?"

Kage didn't respond, as Wolfe pressed his paw onto the right side of his chest.

"Now breathe, in… and out…"

Kage complied.

He breathed in.

Then he breathed out.

Then he stiffened, before collapsing on his side as Wolfe made the connection. Wolfe removed his paw, and smiled as he saw the red wolf now imprinted on Kage. Then he looked up at the moon, and frowned as he laid his tail over Kage's side.

"Alright Gabe, take us back to my room please," he asked. Then his world momentarily blinked out of existence, before coming back in his room.

"Thanks partner. Now get some sleep," Wolfe ordered. Gabe grunted in agreement, and then disappeared, leaving Wolfe alone with Kage again.

He sighed as he looked down at the curled up umbreon. _And another one marked. Oh well, this is the least I can do for the guy. He's been through hell, the least anyone can do is give him a night of peaceful sleep._

He laid down next to slightly smaller umbreon, and curled his body around him. While this did make things warmer for them, the main reason for him doing so was so that Kage got the most out of Wolfe's abilities. Wolfe then rested his head near Kage's, and closed his eyes to concentrate on the emotions coming from the other umbreon.

He felt pain. Lots of pain. As well as sorrow, and misery. He also felt the overwhelming sense of death. Wolfe pulled those emotions into his own body and added them to his own internal turmoil, acting as a buffer for the other male. Wolfe smiled thinly as he felt Kage relax as the bad emotions and memories just vanished from his body.

 _The best way to hide a pile of trash, is to throw it in a landfill. With so much other garbage around, no one will notice that little bit extra. I suppose I'm just a landfill for emotions and thoughts._

 **[POV: Tal]**

Tal smiled cheerfully as he ran through Haven's streets, with the sun shining brightly overhead. He didn't know why, he was just in a really good mood today. It had been a while since Lura and Wolfe had left, but he was finding that he didn't miss them as much as he thought he would. While that might seem bad to say, it was the truth.

He started to hum happily as he entered Cook's Pub, making good use of some of the poke that Wolfe had given him before he left. He thought it had been rather nice of Wolfe to do that. He definitely wasn't going to complain, as he was given no small amount.

He was gifted a whopping 500,000 poke, with little to no explanation. He guessed that it was his Zero's way of apologizing to him. Whatever the case, Tal was set for the rest of his life, and he knew it.

As he approached the table that the eeveelutions frequented, he noticed a rather sad sight. Sitting at a table in the corner, all by herself, was a very beautiful flareon. What caught his attention, however, were two things. One, the flareon was obviously a new face, which was very unusual in Haven. The second thing, was that she looked so sad. Something had obviously happened to her in her life.

Tal stopped for a moment, studying the flareon as she looked at the table in front of her in pure misery. He felt his heart twist slightly. Then he had a mental debate inside of himself.

 _Alright, now, what would Zero do? After all, he made everyone happy… Well, I guess I'll give it a try._

He went up to the bar, and motioned for the bartender to deliver a couple meals to where the flareon was sitting. The bartender smiled at him, and nodded, before disappearing through a door leading into the kitchen. Tal nodded once, before bracing himself, and sauntered over to where the flareon was seated, grinning widely.

"So, what's a beautiful pokemon such as yourself doing, looking so sad in a pub?" he asked cheerfully as he got near her.

She jolted out of her stupor and looked at him, surprised. As she looked at him, he noticed that she appeared to start blushing slightly.

"Uhm… what did you call me?" she asked in a heartbreakingly beautiful voice, that Tal could listen to all day.

He winked at her, and said, "I called you beautiful. That's alright, isn't it?"

She blushed, her orange cheeks turning a deep red. "I… I suppose it is. Haven't been called that for a while though…" she said, her voice trailing off.

Tal frowned slightly. "Well, do you mind if I sit with you? After all, it would almost be a sin to have a beautiful pokemon such as yourself looking all alone and sad."

Her blush remained, as she nodded, gesturing for him to join her. He hopped into the seat across from her, and then looked at her with a grin.

"So, what's your name? While I could certainly call you beautiful all the time, I have a feeling that that would get kind of repetitive, now wouldn't it?" he asked.

She smiled slightly. "Well, I don't think I'll ever tire of a good looking 'mon such as yourself calling me beautiful, but if you insist. My name's Aileen," she answered.

Tal let out a happy hum. "Beautiful! Just as I would expect, from one such as yourself!"

She giggled slightly, and he noticed that she wasn't looking as sad as she was earlier. He smiled slightly to himself.

"So, what's your name then, cutie?" she asked.

Tal beamed at her. "Well, my name is Talonko! But, everyone just calls me Tal. You, however, can call me anything that suites you," he told her with a wink, getting another giggle and blush from her.

"Well, I might just take you up on that offer," she told him, winking back at him. They laughed together, and Tal found himself feeling unusually happy.

"So, Aileen, care to tell me what brings such beauty to this humble Haven?" he asked her.

He saw her face fall slightly, and instantly regretted his words. Before he could stop himself, he found himself reaching across the table and putting a paw under her chin, raising her face slightly as she stared at him. He smiled sadly.

"Hey now, chin up, alright? Everything's all fine, you don't need to answer any questions that you don't want to. I apologize for bringing up any bad memories," he told her softly.

She smiled at him, before nodding. He grinned brightly again, and pulled back across the table to his own side. Then she cleared her throat slightly.

"Well, I found my way here after a few years of traveling, when my… family… was killed by the plague. I'm originally from a small village in Norovia, a long ways away from here. It's rather close to Nor, I suppose. That was helpful for a few things, but not… not for the plague. My village was one of the first to succumb completely to it. The only reason that I'm not dead, is that, for whatever reason, I'm immune to the plague. Arceus knows that I wish I wasn't then maybe I would be with them…" she broke off with a sob, as she laid her head on the table.

Tal instantly got to his feet and hopped onto her chair with her, before wrapping a foreleg around her gently. "You're fine, you're ok. Just let it out, alright?" he comforted.

She dumbly nodded as she buried her face in his chest, clutching him and sobbing uncontrollably as he stroked her in a soothing fashion. She continued to cry for a long time, in which time their food arrived, which Tal nodded his thanks at.

Finally, her sobs quieted down, though her body shook every now and then as she cried silently. Still Tal held her, doing his best to comfort her as best as he can. Eventually, she stopped crying altogether, and just clutched him tightly, as though she were afraid that if she let go, he would disappear.

After he had held her for a little while, she slowly eased her head out of his chest, looked at him as he smiled at her, and blushed, before looking away.

"I'm sorry about that…" she started, until Tal cut her off.

"Don't worry about it at all! I didn't mind in the slightest. Besides, it gave me the opportunity to hold a beautiful pokemon! That's always a plus in my book!" he exclaimed, causing her to giggle again.

"Well, thank you, Tal. I appreciate you being here right now. I was… very sad…" she trailed off again.

Tal pulled her against him gently, being careful to see if she was uncomfortable with being so close to him. She appeared to not mind in the slightest, as she actually leaned into him.

"Aileen, I can tell that you are still very sad. Hell, I would be too. But, you don't have to be anymore! You're in a safe place! Filled with plenty of friendly pokemon and humans! In no time at all, you'll find that you like it here, believe me! I mean, you already have one friend, so that should mean something, right?" he asked her cheerfully.

She frowned at him. "I do? Who?" she questioned.

He grinned and winked at her. "Of course you do! And, why me of course!" he said happily.

She stared at him, speechless for a moment. Then she started to smile slightly, before she began to beam at him as she nodded her head enthusiastically. "You know, you're right! I think that I might like it here! It'll definitely give me a chance to forget some things," she said happily.

Tal beamed back. "That's the spirit! Now, what say you that we actually eat this food that I'm paying for, no? Looks tasty!" he exclaimed.

She giggled, and nodded in agreement.

As they began to eat, Tal just had one more thought, a silent thanks.

 _Thank you, Wolfe, for being a guide of sorts._

* * *

 **And FIN! Alright, chapter 16, done! And I've only been up all night, no biggy, right? Ugh, I work in 6 hours. Great.**

 **A few things to note! One, Happy Valentines Day! I know I'm a few days late, but eh. Still the same week :p**

 **Next thing, going to apologize for me taking so long to update. It was around this time a few years ago that one of my grandma's passed away, so my thoughts haven't been on my story as much. But, that should change!**

* * *

 **WARNING: SERIOUS/DEPRESSING TALK AHEAD! READ AT OWN RISK!**

* * *

 **Ok, so some real talk here because of that. I've had a very complicated life, in which time I gained PTSD, and was put into a foster home, before being adopted. Because of this history, I don't have that great of family connections as most everyone else. I'm just… not as attached, I guess. But, in light of the anniversary of my grandma's death, I have some advice for you all.**

 **Don't take your family for granted. Just don't. You might wake up one day, and find out that someone close to you has died. Or that they've just up and vanished. Coming from someone who hasn't seen their real parents since who knows when, cherish that bond. I'm currently 19 years old, was adopted close to 7 years ago. Before that, I was in foster care for 2 years. That's almost a decade right there. Now, before that, I was with my bio dad for just over 3 years. Keep in mind that my bio parents had gotten a divorce when I was 4. So, bio dad with a step mom, who was the reason I was put in foster care in the first place. So anyway, add up all the years that I've mentioned, it was a 12 year journey to get to where I am now.**

 **Guess how long it's been since I've seen my actual mom?**

 **Now, I'm not telling you all this to gain some pity. No, keep that shit. Pity's for the deserving. No, I'm just telling you this so that you can all hopefully appreciate your family connections more. Hell, I consider myself lucky. I actually have a living mom and dad. Some people don't. I still get to see my bio siblings. A lot of people in my situation can't. So just… don't take that bond for granted, alright? Or else you might end up like me, and not have that bond anymore.**

 **Aurumn Wolfe in this story is literally me. He is 100% based off of yours truly. All his emotional problems? Yeah, that's me. The fact that he doesn't really have a family? Yeah, that's me as well. Only difference is mine isn't completely dead. And let me tell you, Aurumn isn't exactly the best of people in the world.**

* * *

 **DEPRESSING TALK END!**

* * *

 **Alright, that's over now. So, 3,000 views! WOOT! Like, holy shit tits that's more than I can count on two hands! Only just though :p. That said, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'm beyond sorry that it took so long to get out, I just hope you all understand why! All right, please feel free to PM your thoughts, any questions, or just drop in to say 'Hey!' I'll see you all next chapter!**

 **-Aurumn**


	18. Chapter 17: Memories

**A/N: Hey all, Aurumn here! Sooooooo, so far Wolfe and Nova are the top two favorite characters. Honestly, wasn't expecting that at all, so yeah. No lie, I thought that Wolfe would be one of the most disliked characters. But, I ain't complaining! Slightly sad that there was only one vote for Lura, buuuuut, I can live with that. She's by far the most adorable character here. Well, her or Nova I guess. Eh. They're all pretty cute. Not much else to say, I hope you all enjoy the chapter, and, as always, I'll see you at the end of it!**

* * *

 _ **Nothing but a memory.**_

 _He stood in a field around six coffins, all lined up in a row. People were surrounding them, some of them making their way towards him to offer their condolences. Everyone was dressed in black, either dresses or tuxedos. All of them except him._

 _He was dressed in white, from head to toe. White tux, with a white undershirt and pants, as well as white shoes. The only thing that was a different color was the flower on his chest. A dark rose._

 _Grey eyes stared at the coffins, no emotion in them. No sadness, no regret. Nothing. He was always good at disguising his emotions, and all of his friends and family knew it. But, none of them expected to see him this emotionless at his family's funeral, especially considering that he was the only one left of his family line._

 _The last successor._

 _He looked away from his dead family towards the overcast sky. It seemed as though even nature was in mourning for his loss. Mourning for him._

 _A man made his way towards the podium that was set up for just this event. As soon as he reached it, he tapped the microphone placed on it, signaling that he needed everyone's attention. Then he began to speak._

" _Friends and family, we are gathered here today to remember those that have fallen, all way before their time. Before we begin, however, there is one among us who wished to speak for the dead. Please, be silent as the only survivor of the tragic events that took place last month speaks to us. Young man, if you would be so kind to approach the podium," the man said, gesturing for the man in white to take his place._

 _He nodded once, and made his way towards the podium so that he might speak of his thoughts and his family. The man who first spoke bowed his head slightly as a show of respect, before moving away from him and into the crowd._

 _He stood at the podium, as his grey eyes studied those before him, wondering where he should start. Then he sighed quietly, and started to speak._

" _You all know who I am, so I'm not going to bother introducing myself. Instead, I'll get right to it," he said, before falling silent for a moment. Then he continued, saying, "We have all made mistakes. Every single one of us. Some of them major, but most of them relatively minor. I suppose that the trick to making a mistake is to continue going, to keep fighting. To do what needs to be done." He paused for a moment again, and as he did so, the heavens opened up as rain started to pour down on those who were mourning._

" _Unfortunately for me, I suppose, I can't keep going after my mistake. I can't just bounce back from that. Hell, I don't know anyone that could. How does someone make my mistake, and then continue on as if nothing had happened? You can't. It's physically impossible. You see, I should have done more for them. I should have been able to save them. Every one of you tells me that I did all that I could for them. Yes, but it wasn't enough, now was it? For they're dead. They're dead, and I am not. Just look around you. If the coffins don't tell you that, then the people in black should be able to."_

" _I realize that I am not dressed in black, as most people in my situation would. There is a very simple reason for this. It would be so easy to mourn, so easy to say that I tried my best and carry on. But I can't. You see, I was always the one that would be there for my family. If any of them were bullied at school, or hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend, I would always be there for them. And I would always help them pull through. But the one time that they needed me most, the one time when it truly mattered, the one time where I could actually save them… I couldn't do it. I tried. I tried so hard. I literally just got out of the hospital today for this very reason, despite the doctors telling me that I needed to stay and heal."_

" _But how could I stay and rest, when my entire life was killed, solely because I couldn't save them? For that reason, and that reason alone, I don't deserve the right to mourn. I don't deserve the right to carry on. I don't deserve the right to say, 'I did all that I could'. I don't deserve any of it. So, I'll save my mourning for when I feel that I deserve it. Instead, I will simply remember. I will remember the good times we had. I will remember every holiday we celebrated, every event that we attended, every meal that we had together. Every time I helped them pull through. And I'll remember the one time when I couldn't."_

" _I am wearing the symbol of celebration, the color of white. I am celebrating the fact that they had a chance at life, despite it being cut off so soon. That they had a chance to love one another, and to be loved themselves. That they had a chance at all. But I will not mourn. Not now. I haven't earned that right, and I doubt I ever will."_

" _When my time comes that I to will die, and I know that it will come, I would want everyone to do as I am. Wear white. Celebrate me. Celebrate my life. Celebrate my accomplishments. Celebrate everything that I've done, and everyone that I've helped. But don't forget the dark rose. That is a reminder that I failed. That I couldn't save those closest to me. This rose, this one right here, is a symbol of my failure. Of my weakness. It will remind me and everyone that sees it of my failures. It is a symbol of my memory."_

" _We all have made mistakes. Every single one of us. But now, all those mistakes are nothing but a memory."_

 **[POV: Lura, 909 BBF]**

 _ **{You have so much to look forward to. Don't throw it all away.}**_

 _ **[I never try to, it just happens.]**_

Lura awoke with an adorable yawn, before looking around her in confusion. _Where's Aurumn,_ she wondered? Then she remembered the events of the day before and giggled. _Oh yeah, almost forgot._

She then looked at the two other pokemon she was currently cuddling with, and smiled at them. Nova and Cordina just looked so adorable while cuddled up together like that. As she watched, she saw Cordina's ear twitch, signaling that she was waking up.

She giggled again as Cordina yawned hugely and raised her head, before she locked eyes with Lura. Then she smiled brightly.

"Good morning, Lura!" she said cheerfully.

Lura giggled again. "Good morning, Cory," she replied.

"Go back to sleep," an adorable voice grumbled. Lura frowned at Nova, who was trying to cuddle into her and Cordina to sleep more.

"But it's morning," she said.

"Which means that it's time to get up," Cordina added.

Nova groaned. Then she sighed. "Ugh, fine. I'll get up. But, I'm not going to enjoy it," she replied.

Lura giggled as Nova shook herself, before getting up and stretching. Then she jumped off of the bed, followed by Cordina closely, and then Nova, who looked drowsy still. They headed out of Nova's room and waited near Lura's own room for Wolfe and Kage to get up.

They waited for around a half hour, until Nova got impatient.

"Damnit, why aren't they up yet?" she asked, exasperated.

Lura shrugged, and went back to grooming herself. _I really need to work on my water abilities,_ she thought. _Then I could probably just wash myself off that way._ She hadn't even tried to use her abilities since that time when she killed the mightyena who had Wolfe pinned.

Nova grunted. "Well, fine then. I'm going in," she said, and immediately entered the room, not listening to Cordina's complaints. Lura just shook her head with a giggle and followed her into the room.

She had just taken three steps into the room, when she ran right into Nova, who was staring at the bed, dumbstruck. Lura blinked, and followed her gaze, smiling to herself when she saw the two umbreon on the bed.

"Awhhh, that's so cute!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Nova shook herself, and turned to look at Lura, eyes wide. "This is the first time that I've ever seen him sleep! Like, ever! And I stayed up for two nights just to see if he actually slept at all! He doesn't!" she told her, not believing what she was seeing.

Lura blinked in surprise, and looked back at the bed. She saw Kage curled up on it, sides gently rising and falling as he breathed, with Wolfe curled around him, seemingly asleep as well. She turned back to Nova. "Well, he's obviously asleep now. If Aurumn marked him, then that would make sense, as everyone who he's marked has fallen asleep after he marked them. So, I guess I'm not exactly surprised," she said cheerfully.

Nova turned to look back at the two snoozing males. Then she squealed excitedly. "He looks so cute when he's sleeping!"

Lura and Cordina giggled at her, even as Lura saw Wolfe's ear flick sharply, before he raised his head to glare at the three girls who were in his sleeping quarters.

"Awfully hard to sleep with three gorgeous 'mon in the room, especially when they're talking so loud," he said quietly.

Lura giggled as she blushed. "Sorry love, couldn't stop her," she apologized.

Wolfe smiled at her cheerfully. "No worries, I was awake anyway. It's Mr. Sleepy here that I'm waiting on," he said, flicking is tail lightly against Kage.

Nova giggled. "I'm glad that he got some sleep, even if it was only one night," she told him.

He shrugged with a slight grin. "I know exactly what you mean."

Nova nodded, smiling happily, as she and the rest of the group turned their attention to the sleeping umbreon, waiting for him to wake up. Lura and Cordina took the time to check on their eggs, wishing that somehow time would go by faster and that their eggs would hatch. Lura smiled widely as she thought about having her own little daughter running around.

They waited for another 30 minutes, until Lura saw one of Kage's ears flick, before he raised his head to look around him. Lura saw him see Nova and smile slightly, before he suddenly frowned. He turned his head to look at Wolfe, who was smiling brightly.

"Good morning!" he exclaimed cheerfully. Kage blinked at him, before leaping away from him quickly, onto the floor. Then he shook himself and glared at Wolfe, who was getting to his feet.

"Any particular reason as to why you were cuddling me?" he asked him, seemingly annoyed.

Wolfe shrugged with a smile. "Eh, I was cold, and you're awfully warm you know," he answered.

Lura giggled as Kage just frowned at him. Then he shrugged, and walked out the door, leaving the four other pokemon in the room by themselves. Wolfe frowned after him. "Rude," he said. Nova giggled, and followed him out.

Wolfe then turned to Lura and Cordina, who were both staring at him with grins on their faces. He smiled back at them, before asking, "And how are you two lovely ladies doing?"

Cordina shrugged. "I'm doing fine, though it was slightly weird not to wake up with you next to us," she told him.

Lura nodded in agreement. "It was definitely different, but it wasn't that bad. I mean, we had fun last night, so that's a plus, but still."

Wolfe's eyes brightened. "Oh, you had 'fun' without me?" he asked, faking a hurt look.

Lura giggled and shook her head. "No, not that kind of fun. Just talking and whatnot. Still was enjoyable," she said as she stuck her tongue out at him.

He frowned. Then he sighed, and hopped off of the bed, making his way towards the door. "Lame. Now, I need to find Artul. He and I have an appointment with Luna, and I want to get that figured out as soon as possible," he told them, before he walked out of the room.

Lura and Cordina shared a look, and grinned at each other, before following him out of the room.

 **[POV: Artul]**

Artul was laying on his back on his bed, studying one of his paws. _How things change,_ he mused. _Fine one day, then dying in a hospital the next, then being put in a coma and becoming a totally different creature in a totally different world after that. Not only that, but meeting a dead war hero from my old world._

He found it rather amusing when everything was all said and done. Just the sheer absurdity of his situation. Who could ever expect something like that to happen? Certainly not him. He wished that he could do something to take his mind off of things, unlike yesterday when he stayed in his room the entire time. He had gone to Wolfe's room to try and talk to him, but he wasn't there for some reason.

So, the dark jolteon was bored the whole day, with nothing to do but think and contemplate. _I hope that I can do something today._

Just as he finished that thought, he heard a knock at his door. He rotated his head to face it, and yelled, "Come in!"

Immediately, Wolfe walked in, looking cheerful with his tail swishing happily. "Good morning, Artul! I hope you're ready for today, we're going to start your training!" he greeted.

Artul blinked. _About time,_ he thought. He nodded to show he understood. Wolfe's grin widened.

"Alright! Now, all we need to do is wait for Luna to show up to take us where we need to go," he told the jolteon. Artul nodded again, and got to his feet, before hopping off the bed and following the umbreon out.

Wolfe led him to the entrance of their sleeping wing, and sat down to wait next to Lura and Cordina. Artul sat down a little ways from them, and went back to studying his paws. They waited in silence, only the occasional conversation between Wolfe and his mates. Artul still thought that that was a little strange, Wolfe having two mates. It just seemed… wrong, somehow. But, he wasn't going to judge. Wolfe deserved to have some sort of reward after all that he had done in their old world.

Quicker than he had thought, he saw Wolfe's ears perk up, shortly followed by Luna appearing at the entrance, looking stressed. Wolfe smiled at her broadly.

"Why, good morning, Luna! What has you looking so stressed out?" he greeted.

Artul saw her eyes brighten when she saw Wolfe as she answered his question. "Duke is awake now. He's… in an interesting form. I don't want to be around him for the moment," she told him.

Wolfe frowned, looking serious. "He hasn't hurt you, has he?"

Luna shook her head, frowning. Then she sighed sadly. "No, not physically anyway. I think that he's regretting hiring you, if I'm honest," she said tiredly.

Wolfe's frown deepened. "What exactly has he said to hurt you? And that's his problem, not mine. I don't offer refunds, so I'm here for the term that I've been hired."

Luna shook her head again. "It doesn't matter, and he's aware that you don't refund any payments. That's one of the reasons why he's been saying the things that he's said…" her voice trailed off.

Wolfe started to growl slightly. "Luna, just tell me what he's said to you."

She lowered her head, looking very sad. Artul felt his heart go out to her. She just looked so miserable. "Essentially, I'm a whore," she said softly.

"Luna dear, do me a favor and stay around me today. If he starts anything, I'll just put him back to sleep. He knows that I can, so if he's smart at all, he won't do anything," Wolfe said, sounding pissed. Luna flinched slightly.

"I… I don't think that that would be a good idea, Wolfe… I'll just show you to the trainer and leave you to Duke," she told him.

Artul thought he saw something flash in Wolfe's eyes as she spoke, but he didn't argue, and simply dipped his head. "Alright, I can accept that. But if he hurts you, I'm not going to sit by idly. I will fuck his ass up."

Luna snorted in amusement. "Don't even like the guy and you'd still fuck him," she said, giggling lightly.

Wolfe frowned. "Not quite what I meant," he pouted.

Lura giggled, as Cordina shook her head and Luna laughed openly. Then she cleared her throat. "Alright, let's get going now. Long day ahead of us," she told them. Artul nodded, as Wolfe still pouted.

"I feel like I was insulted somehow," he muttered, before following Luna out of their sleep area. Artul shook his head lightly, amused, and followed the others out.

Luna led them through the Dark Army's base, towards Artul's supposed teacher. It still amazed him how large and extensive the cave system was. _It must have taken years to build,_ he thought. Finally, they stopped outside of a small door with a lightning bolt symbol carved into the stone above it. Luna then entered the door, followed by the rest of the group. Artul cast one last glance behind him, before following as well.

Once inside, he first noticed that they were in another sandy arena, one that was around 40 meters by 40 meters. It was obviously built for battle training, something that Artul could appreciate. His gaze finally came to a rest on the rooms only occupant: a luxray, who was sitting down facing them with his eyes closed.

"Greetings," he said solemnly. Then he opened his eyes to stare at them. "Luna, always a pleasure. Ah, and I see an electric type as well. Going to assume that he is the reason that you've all come to visit old Derick?"

Luna nodded with a smile, and then gestured for Artul to come up next to her. He nodded once, and padded forward till he sat next to her.

"Derick, this is Artul. Aurumn has requested that he be trained here while he is out on missions, as well as when it comes to energy attacks, such as your electricity. As he is also an electric type, I felt that you would be the best option to train him," Luna told him.

The luxray eyed Artul and nodded his head once. "I can agree to that. Come then, Artul. Tell me what skills you might possess."

The dark jolteon shifted uncomfortably once, and made his way to sit in front of the elderly pokemon, feeling more nervous as he drew closer. The luxray, Derick, just watched him, staying silent till he stood in front of him. They stared at each other for a while, until Artul started to get uncomfortable.

Just as he was about to say something, the luxray began to speak. "Well, Artul, I must say that I am impressed. Not many can hold my gaze for as long as you have. It's quite refreshing, actually. But, you walk as though you are someone in a stranger's body. That is something that we need to work on if I am to train you," he said.

Artul blinked, shocked that the pokemon could tell just from that short distance. Then he shook himself, and nodded understandingly. Derick snorted in amusement. "That is another thing that we need to work on. When I speak to you, I expect a verbal answer."

Artul blushed in embarrassment. "My apologies, sir. But, I didn't know what there was for me to say," he explained, looking away.

Derick laughed. "Kid, you don't need to apologize to me. Just acknowledge that you heard me. Now then, while I am training you, I expect a few things to happen. One, you will address me as Sir or Mister while training. Second, you will do everything that I say, no matter how stupid it may seem at the time. I will never have you do something with the intention of gaining nothing. There will always be a lesson for you to learn. Do you understand?"

Artul nodded again. "Yes, sir. I understand perfectly."

Derick smiled. "Good, you're learning already. Alright," he said, turning to the other pokemon in the room. "if you'll all give us some privacy, I would appreciate that. I'd imagine that you have other things to do, and I don't want Artul here to be distracted."

Artul blinked in surprise. "Wait, we're starting training right now?" he asked in surprise.

Derick turned to glare at him. Then he smiled. "Why wait? We're both here, and I don't believe that you have anything that needs doing outside of here. Besides, this will take priority of your life, as long as you are under the Dark Army's jurisdiction. Also, do not forget so soon that what I have told you. Sir or Mister."

Artul looked down at his feet. "My apologies, sir. It won't happen again," he apologized.

Wolfe cleared his throat, drawing attention to him. "Artul, I'll probably stop by to check up on you later, but for now, have fun. Well, maybe not fun. But, try to not die in any case. You'll be fine," he said, grinning at the jolteon. Artul frowned at him, and sighed. Then he nodded. Wolfe winked, and then looked at the luxray again. "Train him well, alright? I expect to see a lot of improvement in the near future," he told him.

Derick frowned at him. "Who is the elder here, boy?" he asked.

Wolfe stared at him easily, smiling slightly. "I am, old man."

Derick raised an eyebrow, before snorting softly and looking away. "You need not worry, demon. He'll be well trained."

Wolfe's smile broadened. "Good! Now, Luna dear, should we go check up on your darling asshole," he coughed once, "I mean mate?"

Luna sighed and rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Yeah, we probably should. Well, let's go then. He'll probably want to tell you the details of your next mission. Derrick, you have fun," she said. Derick bowed his head respectfully.

"Of course, ma'am," he said.

Artul studied the luxray as the group left. Courtesy seemed to very important to him, if his actions toward Luna and him were anything to go on. Once they were alone, Derick walked around him, studied his body and stance.

"Relax, Artul. You don't need to be nervous around me. I'm not one to judge, nor am I one to be unreasonable. I am solely here to teach you, nothing more. Now, I can tell by your body and stance that you haven't ever really fought before, correct? This is actually a good thing. It means that you'll not have any bad habits that I might have to correct. You are smaller than most jolteon, but all that means is that you'll be quicker, as well as more agile. All of these attributes are great for quick striking attacks, hit and run tactics if you will. If trained properly, you'll be able to do a large amount of damage very quickly, and escape before damaged yourself. I think that we will focus on long range attacks, as well as your speed and stamina. So, we'll start off simple," Derick told him, then stopped examining the jolteon and moved to the side of the arena.

"Now, I want you to start running around the rooms perimeter till I decide that you're tired enough," he finished. Then he sat down, and gestured for the jolteon to start running. Artul groaned internally, as he started running. _Basic training all over again,_ he thought.

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

He was walking down a pathway, humming to himself cheerfully. Beside him walked a white vulpix, wearing her body armor and seemingly lost in thought. Wolfe himself was in a great mood, as he was finally on the road again. He hated being cooped up, and the week he had spent with the Dark Army so far, had been some of the longest. He had spent the whole time either in his room with Lura and Cordina, discussing their future children, and occasionally some of the other members of his group from time to time, or at the sparring arena, watching the spars or partaking in them himself.

Around two days before he had left on the mission he was currently on, Hail and Iris had returned, much to Wolfe's delight. He had been so _bored_ , so them making an appearance meant that he was that much closer to leaving on his mission. Plus, he enjoyed Iris' interactions with Cordina. Though, she did slightly irritate him sometimes when it came to how she treated Lura. He was just glad that it didn't seem to bother Lura a whole lot.

He turned his gaze over to Gale, still humming cheerfully. She was an interesting character for sure, as well as slightly mysterious. Not many pokemon wore armor, but he guessed that she was just being cautious. He wasn't going to complain, it just meant that he wouldn't have to watch out for her as much. Now, that's not to say that he wouldn't anyway. She was his sister in arms at the moment, and he'd always watch out for his brothers and sisters. That's something that would never change about him. It just eased his mind a bit that she wore it.

He must have been staring at her for longer than he had thought, for she had caught his gaze and was looking at him curiously. "What are you doing?" she asked him.

He grinned at her, and winked. "Just enjoying the view. Is that so bad?" he replied.

She blushed slightly, and turned her gaze to in front of her. "I suppose that it's not," she said uncomfortably. Wolfe chuckled, though he didn't avert his gaze.

"So how come you wear that armor?" he asked curiously. She snapped her gaze towards him, then quickly returned it in front of her. _Interesting,_ he thought.

"I used to be a mercenary a while ago. I just got used to wearing it, I suppose," she answered evenly. Wolfe nodded in understanding.

"I'm seeing a trend with the Dark Army here. It seems that the majority of them have some history as a mercenary," he observed. She shrugged.

"Not as many as you might think, though I suppose that there is a fair amount that do. More often than not, the people that come in have no experience whatsoever. Takes longer to get everyone to the point where they can go out on missions, but it means that everyone's loyal. No one wants to fight against the ones that taught them," she explained.

He nodded again. "I suppose that that makes sense."

He turned his attention to the road ahead of him. He smiled again, at the actual scenery this time. It really was quite stunning, and he knew that they were about to leave the mountains. They were set to be gone for around a month, which he was completely fine with. Lura was safe, and he got to travel around again. Then he grinned mischievously to himself, and turned his head to look at the vulpix again.

"So, what's our mission again?" he asked happily.

She stumbled, before quickly catching her footing and turning to stare at the umbreon in disbelief. "You're joking, right?" she asked him incredulously.

He shrugged, still grinning. She groaned, before saying, "We were literally the only two in the room besides Duke. How did you not pay attention?"

He shrugged again. "There was a very attractive female in the room, what can I say? I get distracted very easily in situations like that," he told her.

She blinked in confusion. Then understanding flooded her gaze, and she blushed again, looking at her paws. Wolfe chuckle in amusement. _Guessing that she doesn't get complimented very often, if her reaction's anything to go by. Cute,_ he thought. He decided to stop flirting with the poor girl for a little bit. Just a little bit though.

"You never answered me, you know," he said with a laugh.

She kept staring at her paws, seemingly lost in thought. Wolfe started to frown. Then she spoke again, quietly this time.

"Do you really mean that? Or are you just amusing yourself?" she asked, still looking at the ground.

Wolfe frowned sharply. "While I realize that my voice is very attractive, I don't speak for the pleasure to hear my own voice. Yes, I was serious. You're a good looking 'mon. Hasn't anyone told you that before?"

She turned her head to look at him, smiling softly. "Not for a long time, no. Thank you for that. I appreciate it," she told him. Then she frowned and glared at him. "Don't get any ideas now. I appreciate the compliment, but this trip is business and business only. No funny business."

He grinned brightly, and winked at her. "You say that now, just give it a while. Meanwhile, can you actually tell me what the mission is? I was legitimately distracted," he said.

She groaned again. "How do your mates put up with you? You're impossible," she said in exasperation. He chuckled.

"Well, you see, they usually just love me nicely. I'm a lot more manageable after I've had some 'fun'," he told her cheerfully, complete with a suggestive wink.

She frowned at him. "Not happening," she said stiffly.

He pouted. "Why not?" he whined. She rolled her eyes.

"I have a boyfriend. Plus, you have a mate. Two of them, actually."

He frowned. "They don't care at all. Actually, Lura even enjoys watching, which is very cute in my opinion."

She huffed. "It probably wouldn't be a good idea. Especially considering that Duke has a rule, no mating while on a mission."

"Duke, shmuke, he doesn't own me. Neither does he get to boss me around. He can send me on missions, and they'll get done, but he can't tell me what to do on said missions."

She glared at him. "But he can tell me what to do on missions."

Wolfe grinned at her. "Then keep it a secret! It won't be that hard, hell, it won't be hard at all. Besides, if he does find out, what can he do? Kick you out? The dude looks like he needs all the soldiers here he can get."

She huffed again. "No, he won't kick me out, but he'll cut my rations and issue more chore duties for me."

He kept grinning at her. "Well, then I'll give you food as well as do your chores for you! It's a win-win in my book!"

She glared at him. "You don't like authority, do you?"

He shrugged. "Authority usually just limits my options. I hate limited options. So, as soon as I was told that there was no 'fun' allowed on missions, that made me want to have 'fun' even more, if only just to spit in Duke's face. That absol annoys me beyond belief."

She frowned at him. "Then that's a definite no. Not going to do something just so you can metaphorically spit in someone's face."

Wolfe blinked, then frowned. "Didn't quite mean it like that. Alright, I'll stop flirting. For now. But, can you _please_ tell me what the mission is?"

She sighed, and rolled her eyes. "Patrol the area surrounding a small village in Norovia, while looking for a particular target, one who is responsible for three deaths so far in the Dark Army. An unusual looking scyther named Crux. Supposedly he's had a large bounty on him for years, and we've recently learned that he might be in the area. Duke was hesitant to send us, actually, as any previous members who came into contact with him had been killed, barring one of course. But the houndoom said that it was night time and most of them were tired. This, combined with the fact that you're a much more well known fighter, makes him fairly confident that we will most likely not die."

Wolfe snorted. "Don't worry hon, we ain't dying. At the very least I can guarantee you that."

She sighed again, and looked at her paws once more, before turning her head to watch the passing trees. "The more I talk with you, the more I feel that you're way too arrogant. Not a fan of arrogant people," she muttered.

Wolfe instantly went straight faced. "If you'd prefer, I can be cold and boring for the rest of the month. Most people do not like me being cold, but you might be the exception. You are an ice type, after all," he said coldly.

Her fur started to bristle, as she snapped her head to face him, eyes flashing dangerously. "And what is that supposed to mean, Mr. Dark type?" she asked, starting to get upset.

Wolfe kept his face emotionless. "Nothing at all, hon. Merely stating that you might enjoy someone who has a colder personality than mine. So, I'm trying to make you as comfortable as possible."

She started to growl quietly. "I'm not sure that I appreciate what you're implying," she growled.

"I'm not implying anything, Gale. But it's not nice to feel insulted, now is it?"

She flinched, and looked down at her paws again, all anger draining from her body as she came to a stop. Wolfe stopped walking shortly after, and just watched her emotionlessly. Then he saw tears in her eyes. _Oh great, not even gone for a day and you've already made her sad. Great going demon. You're doing a fantastic job,_ he chastised himself angrily.

"My apologies, I did not mean to offend you by my earlier comment. I was simply thinking aloud," she whispered to him after a while.

Wolfe sighed, and shook his head, before adopting a smile on his face and approaching her. She appeared to be lost in thought again, struggling with some internal emotion that he couldn't identify. Once he was close enough, he sat next to her and wrapped his tail around her pulling her into him much like he does with Lura. He felt her stiffen at his touch momentarily, before she relaxed into him.

"You don't need to worry. It takes a lot to truly offend me, the comment was just slightly irritating. Slightly. Now relax, I'm not upset at all. Just know that if my remarks ever bother you, just let me know. I'll ease up on them, promise," he told her quietly.

She sniffed once, and then nodded. He rubbed her with his tail gently for a moment, before he moved away from her. She shook herself, and started to stand up. "You good?" Wolfe asked her once she was standing.

She smiled at him, and nodded. Then she shook herself again. "We should probably get moving, still got a few hours of travel time today," she said briskly.

Wolfe chuckled, and nodded. "Sooooo, do you mind if I get a look at you without your armor?" he asked cheekily as they started walking.

She glared at him, before smacking him with her black tails. "No. Bad. And I thought that you weren't going to flirt anymore," she said grouchily.

He winked at her. "I said for now. It's not now anymore," he justified.

She glared at him, then she chuckled. "Well, it is now, actually. So is right now. And right now. And now. And even now!" she said, as Wolfe grimaced.

"For having such a cute ass, you're such a smart ass," he complained bitterly, eyeing her.

She snorted in amusement, before speeding up to walk in front of him, swaying her rear in time with her steps. "Well, if you think that my ass is so cute, you can just stare at it for the rest of the day," she said haughtily.

Wolfe laughed. "Don't think I won't, because now I'm going to. Especially when you walk like that," he told her, eyeing her tails as they flicked from side to side.

He made good on his word, as every time she looked back at him for the rest of the day, his gaze was always locked on one place. Each time she did so, he heard her snort in amusement. Even when they stopped to drink from a stream, he still continued as he was, causing her to shake her head when she caught his gaze.

"I'm not even walking!" she exclaimed to him the second time they had stopped to drink. He shrugged with a smile.

"Doesn't make me any less attracted," he said cheerfully. She just shook her head at him and smiled.

"Are you really that desperate?" she asked him.

He frowned as he looked at her. "I wouldn't say desperate. You just told me to watch it all day, so I took that as a challenge. I never back down from a challenge," he pouted.

She snorted in amusement, and shook her head again. "So, what if I challenge you not to look at me for the rest of the day?" she asked curiously.

He blinked at her, then looked towards the setting sun. "Well, it'll be difficult, but I think I can for the last three minutes," he said hesitantly.

Now it was her turn to blink at him. Then she blinked at the sun. Then him again. Then she sighed. "Damn, guess I didn't think that through. Well, I suppose that I don't care. Look all you want, just don't touch," she told him.

He frowned at her. "Can't we cuddle?" he asked hopefully?

She shook her head. "No. No touch. Bad umbreon."

He chuckled at her. "Fine, fine. Real talk though, do you want to keep going, or just stop here for the night?"

She looked at the sun again, and frowned. "Well, it's getting dark, and we won't be able to see after the sun sets, so it might be best to stay here the night," she mused.

He chuckled again. "Actually, we'll be able to see just fine. I can see in the dark, and I can make my rings glow. Provided that you make me happy of course," he told her with a wink. He laughed as she groaned, before he continued. "In all honesty, though, we should be fine if you want to continue."

She grimaced. "Forgot that dark types can see in the dark. Fine, let's just stay here the night because I'm tired from walking all day and my paws are sore. Plus, this armor chafes."

He grinned at her. "Poor, poor Gale. Delicate little paws are sore. Such a shame. I can carry you if you'd like," he said.

She glared at him. "Cool it buster. A lady can rest when she wants to. And I thought that you were finally done flirting for the day," she grumbled, laying down.

He frowned at her. "But I wasn't flirting," he said in confusion.

She blinked at him. "You were seriously offering to carry me?" she asked in disbelief.

He shrugged with a smile. "Of course! Consider it my apology for putting up with my shenanigans," he told her.

She blinked again. Then she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "This isn't some ploy just to get close to me, is it?"

He feigned a hurt look. "Ouch. And no, it's not a ploy. Although, odds are that I will enjoy carrying you. Not every day that I have an excuse to be so close to a pretty girl who isn't my mate."

She rolled her eyes, and got to her paws. "Fine, I'll allow it, just because it offers me a chance to travel without aching paws."

Wolfe laughed at her, as he crouched down to let her get onto his back. As he felt her paws climb up his back, he couldn't resist flicking her nose with his tail, causing her to sneeze. Then she smacked him with her own tails, before laying down on him with her chest pressed against his back. Well, her armor, but it would have been her chest had she not been wearing it.

Once she was situated, he raised himself to his feet, glad that he was tall enough that her paws didn't scrape the ground. He felt her shift on his back as he started to walk, before she draped her head over his right shoulder and alongside his neck. He chuckled in amusement.

"Awh, now that's cute~" he cooed.

She growled at him, before nipping his shoulder, causing his whole body to stiffen as he felt his urges start to rise as he growled softly. He shoved them down as she began to speak.

"Yeah, yeah. You've mentioned that you thought I was attractive, you don't need to keep bringing it up," she said in his ear.

He flicked an ear, before answering, saying, "Oh, but I think I do. People have a habit of forgetting nice things that you tell them, so it's best to tell them as often as possible. Oh, and you might not want to bite me again. I have a hard time controlling myself when an attractive pokemon does that, and you said no touching. So, if I touch, it's not my fault," he told her.

She giggled softly. "Oh, is that so? Then allow me to make your night absolutely miserable," she whispered in his ear, and proceeded to bite and nip his neck and shoulder, to the point where he was growling, as well as his body shaking.

"Remember, no touching," she whispered after a while. Then she continued her process of teasing him, making it very hard for Wolfe to concentrate, as he started to stumble a bit.

Finally, after a particularly hard bite on her part, he let loose a loud, feral growl, and shrugged her off of him, causing her to squeal in surprise as she landed on her back. He instantly stood over her, glaring at her. She stared up at him in anticipation, as his body shook. She looked at him for a long time, before speaking again.

"Well?" she asked.

With another growl, Wolfe placed his mouth roughly over hers, kissing the vulpix below him deeply as she let out a gasp of shock. Wolfe took this opportunity as well, and began to explore her mouth with his tongue, even as she began to explore his. As he drew his tongue along her fangs, she bit his lip gently, almost making him lose all sense of control whatsoever. But he managed. Barely. He bit her back softly as well, returning the favor. He felt her moan softly into his mouth.

Finally, he broke away from her, looking at her as she stared up at him, blushing softly. Then he let out another growl, and leaned down to nip her neck sharply, before pulling away from her as she squeaked. He continued to glare at her.

"I didn't touch," he said stiffly, and hopped off of her so that she could get to her feet. As she did so, he noticed that she was blushing deeply, and looking embarrassed. He lowered himself so that she could get back on his back, which she did, albeit a bit nervously.

"S-sorry about that, Wolfe. I… I'm not entirely sure what came over me there. I sincerely apologize," she stammered out as she apologized.

He grunted softly as he got to his feet to keep walking. "Don't worry about it. Not the first time something like that has happened with me, and odds are it won't be the last. However, just a warning, I may not be able to control myself as well as I did there in the future. So, it's probably in your best interest to not bite me again, if you're serious about not doing anything," he said, before turning to look at her over his shoulder. "Don't worry too much about it, hon."

She nodded, before sighing as she laid down on him again. "Don't worry, it won't happen again," she told him. Then she shifted a bit, and muttered, "It was nice though."

Wolfe chuckled in amusement, even as his thoughts explored everything that he had learned today about Hail. _Seems to be touchy about her armor, possibly a family heirloom. Also, claims to have a boyfriend, but she didn't seem to bothered about me kissing her. You're definitely a mysterious individual, Gale,_ he thought.

He continued to walk for the better part of the night, musing over everything that had happened recently again. Well after midnight, he finally decided to stop for the night. Hail had passed out already, and was currently snoozing on his back. Wolfe drowsily headed towards a large tree that draped down over a large expanse of a clearing. _Looks like a willow,_ he thought tiredly. He smiled as they were enveloped in its leaves, giving them plenty of shelter.

Once he had made it to the base, he carefully set Gale on the ground, and smiled as she curled up on herself. Then he padded a short distance away, before laying down himself as he prepared to sleep. He had been finding it slightly more difficult since he had taken some of Kage's emotion into him, but having trouble sleeping wasn't anything new to him.

He was just about to fall asleep, when he heard a whimper come from the sleeping vulpix. He tiredly raised his head to look at her, and saw that she was grimacing, and squirming in her sleep. He sighed, getting to his feet and walking over to her. Then he curled his body around her, causing her to snap her head up and stare at him with tired eyes.

"Wolfe? Wha…" she mumbled.

Wolfe laid his head down next to where her head was when she had been sleeping. "Just go to sleep," he grumbled. She blinked in confusion, before yawning and laying back down. Then she snuggled back into him, as he tried to ignore her armor digging into his chest. Shortly afterwards, he heard her breathing even out as she fell asleep. He had time for one last thought about her before he fell asleep.

 _Barely know you, Gale, yet I can already tell that something's wrong. You're my sister in arms, and I'm only sorry that I wasn't able to help you sooner. But, if I'm able, I will do whatever I can to make your past nothing but a memory._

 **[POV: Tal]**

Tal had been enjoying his life immensely, even more so since he had met Aileen. He didn't know why he was so drawn to her, he just was. It almost felt as if some higher power, one that had total control over his life and held it in the tip of its fingers, had decided that he needed something in his life to help him get over his previous loves. Like it had been too cruel to him.

Regardless, he wasn't going to complain one bit. Every single free moment that he received, he spent with her. She just made him so happy. Happier than he could ever possibly remember being. It was a treat for him. He loved it.

As he waited for the beautiful flareon to make her appearance at their meeting place, he couldn't help but wonder if he was seriously falling in love with this girl, possibly more than he did with Lura or Zero.

 **[POV: Unknown]**

Clear blue eyes sparkled into the darkness as they fell onto a village. _Maybe I'll have better luck in my search here. I certainly hope so. It's been way too long,_ the eyes owner thought.

A blue paw stepped slowly into the light, followed shortly by a feminine figure emerging from the shadows. Ribbons curled around its body as it studied the village. _Here's hoping,_ the sylveon thought, before it started to make its way down towards the lights below.

* * *

 **OMFG I AM SO SORRY! This chapter has been super delayed :(. Like, it's embarrassing tbh. Also, I know you're all thinking "Wth Aurumn, you've had over a week to get this chapter out, and it's only 8,000 words! Wtf!", but I'm here to tell you that I'll be making it up to you all this week. I've been up for the last 20 hours or so writing it, so I hope you'll all forgive me :(. I've had a shit ton of stress to deal with at home and at work. Almost got given the boot from my house due to a da roommate. You can expect at least two more chapters in the next few days :p.**

 **Just a warning, next chapter will probs be around 14,000 words, mainly because of a little gift, as well as an apology. Going to be including two, (count 'em, two!) lemons! This is because one lemon was requested, and the other is a means to introduce a new character! Exciting!**

 **These next few chapters will be focusing heavily on Gale, and not going to lie, I'm super excited to include what I have planned. She has an interesting side story with her ;).**

 **On a totally unrelated and random note, going to give a shout out to the two friends currently on a hiking trip who both read my story! I hope that you both enjoyed the flirty, as well as who a lot of the flirty was with :p. And hopefully you enjoy how I'm writing your characters!**

 **I was going to include another Army anecdote in this A/N, but frankly, I'm waaaay too tired. So, getting this chapter out, then crashing. The Aurumn needs his beauty sleep :(. Gotta keep my looks up somehow :p (I kid, I kid).**

 **Going to say another huge thank you to everyone reading this story, I've put a lot of effort and time into it so far, and that keeps on increasing every day. So I'm glad to see all of the support! Also, thank you to everyone who offered support last chapter, I appreciate it, even if it wasn't my intention :).**

 **I am accepting two more OC's! Then I'll have a full cast.**

 **Last thing, can people tell me what they think Wolfe's issues are? Also, how he operates with stuff? Theories, people, looking for theories :P.**

 **That all said, I'm going to go sleep. I really need to stop staying up for so long. It takes a lot out of me :(.**

 **-Aurumn**


	19. Chapter 18: Scars of the Past

**A/N: Hey all, Aurumn here. So, last chapter was seriously delayed, this chapter will not be! And, as stated in the last A/N, double lemon in this chapter. Now, don't expect this to happen a whole lot. There is a very good reason as to why, and I'm increasing the word count for this chapter to adjust for that. I don't want to take away from the plot :p. Due to the fact that I'm not waiting a whole lot for any reviews or anything, can't comment on that at all. Oh, and A Fan, I'll reply to your review at the end of this chapter. Was going to last chapter, but I was waaay too tired. Wondering if you're the same fan that first reviewed on this story :p. That said, on with the chapter! I hope that you all enjoy! And I'll see you at the end of it.**

 **Disclaimer: Aurumn does not own Pokemon or any of its affiliates. I do, however, own my OC's and the story that I've put them in, unless stated otherwise.**

* * *

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

 _ **{I'm proud of your skills and accomplishments, my demon.}**_

 _ **[I aim to please. Or not. But, if I do please, so be it.]**_

Wolfe never really enjoyed waking up. It usually meant that he had some sort of problem to deal with. He especially didn't like waking up to an argument. So, he was understandably upset when loud shouts coming from the trail next to where he and Gale had passed out woke him up.

He raised his head and glared out from the trees draping leaves at the two pokemon who were currently shouting at each other. One was a raticate, and the other a pikachu. He instantly decided that today was going to be a bad day.

"Pikachu, what the hell were you doing with my mate?!" the raticate was yelling.

"It's none of your business!" the pikachu shouted back.

"It's my mate! It is my business!"

As the argument continued, Wolfe groaned and buried his head into the ground. "Fuck~" he moaned. It was at this point that Gale woke up, raising her head and looking around sleepily. Then she heard the shouting as well, and groaned herself.

"What the fuck are they arguing about? And why the hell are they so loud so early?" she grumbled to Wolfe, who just shook his head as he groaned again.

"I'm going to eat them," he told her matter of factly.

She snorted in amusement. "Then hurry up, otherwise I might before you," she retorted. Wolfe sighed, and uncurled himself from around her, then proceeded to stretch.

"You know, you'd be a lot nicer to cuddle if you weren't wearing that armor," he said playfully, flicking her nose with his tail as she glared at him.

"Hey now, I didn't ask you to cuddle me. Point in fact, I believe that I actually told you not to. So, you didn't listen to me, and you got punished. Why were you cuddling me anyway?" she asked.

He shrugged with a winsome smile. "I was lonely, and you just looked so cuddly. Not my fault at all," he answered cheerfully.

She frowned at him. "For someone with such a brutal reputation, you're awfully lovey. It's kind of unusual," she observed.

He shrugged as he made his way towards the arguing pokemon. "I try not to fit any stereotypes. Keeps people guessing."

She shook her head as he exited out from under the tree. Wolfe quietly crept up on the two smaller pokemon, until he was just a foot away, with them still not noticing.

"For such small pokemon, you two are awfully brave to be arguing as you are with two predator 'mon nearby. Especially when said two predators are sleeping," he interrupted them casually.

Immediately they shut up and went pale. They both then slowly turned to look at Wolfe, who was casually sitting down and licking a paw. Then they gasped.

"S-sorry, s-sir," the pikachu squeaked out. "I-I d-didn't r-realize that y-you were there!"

The raticate just started to shake in place. Then it started to pee, much to Wolfe and the pikachu's disgust.

"Ew!" Gale exclaimed, making an appearance next to Wolfe. Upon seeing her, the raticate shit, and then it's eyes rolled into its head as it collapsed, fainting out of sheer terror. Wolfe and Gale curled their noses in disgust, as did the pikachu.

"Well, I was going to eat him, but I think that I've lost my appetite. What's your name, mouse?" Wolfe asked.

"B-Bill s-sir," it squeaked out.

Wolfe rolled his eyes. "Relax, Bill. You aren't going to die. Just want to ask a few questions. For the record, who names a pikachu Bill?" he asked curiously.

Bill released a deep breath, and then gasped hugely. Then his face scrunched up in disgust as he clutched his nose with his paws. "Can we go somewhere else?" he asked.

Wolfe looked at Gale, who had her paws covering her nose as well. She nodded vigorously. Wolfe snorted in amusement and shrugged. "Sure. I was just going to hold my breath anyway, so it'll save me the struggle," he told them, and then walked down the trail with Gale immediately behind him. Bill bolted past him and then stopped by a bush, before turning to watch them anxiously.

"To answer your first q-question, I chose it myself. Who m-might you two b-be?" Bill asked.

Wolfe shrugged. "Well, to each their own I suppose. And my name is Zero, and this interesting looking vulpix is Hail, my sister. We're on our way to Norovia, and I was just wondering what dangers there were in the distance ahead of us?" he asked.

Bill looked at them in confusion. Then understanding flooded his gaze. "Oh, same dad, different mom? Been a while since I've seen a white vulpix. Actually, only once. But, never seen one wearing armor, or with a black head tuft. Or tails. Pretty unique, as far as appearances go. So far as danger's go, I've heard that there was a rather murderous scyther holed up somewhere up ahead, along with his crew. But, that's not for a long ways, and he might have moved on anyway. I last heard that from a houndoom as he passed under my tree," he answered.

Wolfe raised an eyebrow. "No, same mom, different dad. And any idea where his hide out is supposedly located?"

Gale frowned at him, then swatted Wolfe with her tails, causing him to let out a soft 'oof'. Then she turned to a confused Bill with a roll of her eyes. "Ignore my brother, he thinks he's funny," she excused Wolfe. "Same dad, different mom. But, we would still like to know if you have any idea where this scyther's hide out is," she said sweetly.

Bill shook himself, and then nodded. "Well, it's at least a couple days' journey, as that houndoom looked very tired and worn out. So, probably after you exit the mountains. Sorry, I don't know the exact location though," he said, looking sad.

Gale shrugged as Wolfe pouted at her. "No big deal, we'll just be on the lookout. Thanks for the help, and, uh, I would suggest not staying around here for too long. Your friend there didn't seem too happy with you," she told him, flicking a black tail in the unconscious raticate's direction.

Bill looked at him and frowned. "Yeah, I should probably be relocating… don't suppose that you'd consider eating him?" he asked them hopefully.

Gale gagged, as Wolfe crinkled his nose in disgust. "Not after he shat himself I won't," Wolfe said. Then he shook himself, and looked up towards the sky. "We should probably get going sis, long ways to travel. Good luck, Bill," he told them, before turning and walking down the road towards Norovia, with Gale walking right beside him.

"Wait! Can I come with you?" Bill called after him. Wolfe groaned, but he didn't stop.

"I don't own you, do whatever you like. Just don't slow us down!" he called back. Gale shot him a glare, which he shrugged off as he moved to walk closer to her. "If push comes to shove, we can always eat him," he whispered to her.

She giggled, and then shrugged. "I'm not too partial to eating a pokemon whose name I know," she whispered back. He frowned at her, then sighed.

"Fine, we won't eat him. Yet," he muttered as Bill neared them. Then he walked a little ways away, leaving Gale to her own thoughts.

The rest of that day passed by uneventfully, with Bill trying to start conversations, which Wolfe mostly ignored. He wasn't the biggest fan of pikachus, as most of them were very annoying. They were kind of cute, but not as cute as certain other pokemon. Like Lura, who he still thought was the cutest pokemon out there.

When they stopped for that night, it was a similar situation as the night before. Hail curled up to sleep, and was out almost immediately, leaving Wolfe to stay up and chat with Bill for a while.

"So, does your sister have anyone special in her life?" the mouse pokemon asked randomly.

Wolfe raised an eyebrow at him. "She has a boyfriend. So, yes," he answered evenly.

Bill looked at the sleeping vulpix, and frowned. Then he smirked. "Well, can't say that that's ever stopped me before!" he said brightly.

Wolfe glared at him. "You realize who you're talking to, right?" he asked calmly.

Bill looked at him for a second, and then shrugged. "Well, I figured that you could be a bro and help out a fellow male. Never done it with a predator before," he said, gesturing at Gale.

Wolfe groaned and buried his face in his paws. "No, a thousand times no. I'm not going to do that at all. Why would I? Firstly, I barely know you. Secondly, she's my sister. No," he replied firmly.

Bill frowned at him. "Well you don't have to be so uptight about it," he muttered.

Wolfe sighed and shook his head. "And you don't have to ask me to help you pick up girls. Especially no one who I know. Make your own way in life, I'm not your wingman," he retorted.

Bill frowned at him. "Prude," he said shortly. Wolfe snorted in amusement.

"Buddy, you have no idea how far from the truth you are. I don't care what you do with random people, but when it's someone under my protection, it's paws off. The sooner that you learn that, the sooner we'll all get along," he told him.

Bill sighed. "Fine, I'll stop asking you about her. And paws off, I promise," he said, smiling slightly. Wolfe nodded his head once in acknowledgement.

He was about to say something again, when Gale started to squirm and cry out softly in her sleep. Wolfe sighed, and shook his head, before getting to his feet and trotting over to her, before laying down next to her. Then he wrapped his body around her, much like he did the night before. Slowly but surely, she started to quiet down again, before she was once again sleeping peacefully as he watched her.

"What's up with her?" Bill asked quietly, the pikachu having walked over where they were sleeping.

Wolfe glared at him. "None of your business. Now, go to bed. We'll head out again in the morning," he ordered.

Bill let out a huff, before doing as he was told. As the pikachu fell asleep, Wolfe turned his attention back to the sleeping vulpix, musing to himself quietly. _Well Gale, you are indeed an interesting pokemon. You're showing signs of some emotional trauma, which makes me curious as to what happened to you. It'd be nice if I had all the answers, but, unfortunately, I don't. It bothers me more than it should that I can't help you with your problems, but I know that I'm still a stranger in your eyes. Very few people think as I do, willing to do anything to help a comrade, no matter the cost. I hope that I find out what causes you to be like this soon._

He stared down at her for a while, before turning his attention to the moon. That was another thing he had missed while with the Dark Army. They were inside all the time, so he rarely got to see the moon. But, you did what you had to do.

After staring at the moon for a while, he laid down his head and joined the other two pokemon in their silent slumber.

He was the first to wake up in the morning, and he immediately got up and moved away from Gale. She had made it clear that she wasn't a fan of him sleeping like that with her, and he wanted to start the day off on a good note. So, he decided to just wait.

As soon as Gale woke up, Wolfe wasted no time in waking up the still sleeping pikachu, and then started to trot off towards their destination, leaving a confused Gale and Bill behind.

"What's up with him?" he heard Bill ask. Gale didn't bother to respond to him, as she trotted to catch up to Wolfe.

"What's up?" she whispered to him once she was close enough.

"Nothing at all, just want to get going is all. Lot of ground to cover, I figure around two more days of walking till we reach our destination," he said cheerfully. She looked at him sideways, then shrugged.

"So, we're siblings now, are we?" she asked casually. "What made you come up with that cover story?"

He returned her gaze and stared at her honestly. "For the moment, you're my sister in arms. It's as simple as that, and for as long as you remain as such, I offer you the same thing that I would have offered my real siblings, all of which have been dead for a long time," he told her evenly. She blinked in surprise, as she started to fall behind him slowly.

"Oh," she said softly.

That day was completely uneventful. Bill kept tagging along with them, and Wolfe noticed that he kept flashing longing glances at Gale, much to his amusement. He guessed that the pikachu was quite the player where he came from, which would explain the argument with that raticate.

Wolfe noticed a pattern when they went to sleep that night. Gale was the first one to sleep, as he would speak with Bill. Then she would start to spasm and whimper, which would lead to him sleeping next to her.

The next day, however, was different. They were finally approaching their destination, and as such they had to be more wary, something that Bill didn't seem to understand.

"You know, this is the absolute farthest that I've ever been from my tree," he observed cheerfully, seemingly out of the blue.

Wolfe glared at him. "Very interesting," he said dryly. Gale snorted in amusement, as Bill looked hurt.

"I'm just trying to make some conversation. Is that such a crime?" he complained.

Wolfe and Gale glared at him. "Yes," they said in unison. Then they shared an amused look.

"Bet that won't happen again," they said, again in unison. Their eyes widened, then they glared at each other. "Stop it," they said.

They blinked at each other. "What the fuck?" they asked. Bill started to laugh.

"Well, you two are obviously related!" he said gleefully, clapping his paws together in delight. They turned their gazes on him, glaring.

"Now I know what it's like to be Lura or Cordina," Wolfe grumbled. "They do that type of shit all the time."

Gale looked at him, amused. "Well, at the very least it shows that we think similar. So, we can say we have team work down," she observed.

Wolfe sighed, before turning back towards their destination. "Well, we're almost there, so that's a plus. We might actually get to sleep in an actual mattress tonight," he said cheerfully. Gale let out a small cheer, as Bill blinked in confusion.

"Mattress?" he asked. Wolfe sighed as his ears drooped.

"Some people are so deprived," he muttered. Gale nodded in agreement.

Finally, Wolfe spotted a small township in the distance, and beamed. "Well, there's our destination!" he exclaimed brightly. Gale nodded, as Bill squinted in the distance.

"Those box looking things way down there?" he asked.

Wolfe nodded, then turned to grin at his two companions. "I'll race you!" he challenged them. Gale let out a cheer again.

"Finally something that I can put you in your place on!" she returned, and then immediately took off, with Wolfe hot on her heels, leaving a flabbergasted Bill to try and keep up.

Twenty minutes later, Wolfe and Gale arrived in the town limits, breathing slightly harder than normal. "Well, that was fun! It's a shame that you lost though," Wolfe breathed out, with a wink at Gale. She frowned at him, and shook her head.

"No, I won. But you are right, it was fun," she replied, sticking her tongue out at him. He pouted.

"Well, we can't say that either of us lost, because," he said, before directing his gaze towards the distant pikachu, who was flailing his arms wildly as he approached them. Gale giggled.

"True," she said simply, and then sat down and proceeded to wash her paw. Wolfe chuckled.

"Well, while we wait for him, I'm going to disappear and transform. Then I'll rent us a room at the local inn for our duration here. Just tell our friend dying over there that I went to go meet up with a contact," he told her. She nodded, and flicked her tails in a dismissal manner. Wolfe snorted in amusement, and then trotted off behind a building.

There, he closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. When he opened them again, he was standing much taller, and was back in his human form. He grinned, then rolled his shoulders, feeling a satisfying crack as he did so. Then he put his deep hood on, and stepped out into a street filled with bustling people.

As he wandered through town, he couldn't help but wonder at how normal everything looked. It was almost as if the plague had never happened, something that he appreciated. There were admittedly fewer people in the streets than what it would have been normally, but way more than he had expected.

After ten minutes of searching, he finally found a sign that had a bed and a fork inscribed on it. He nodded once, and then pushed the door open. Immediately he was greeted to the smell of food and ale, as well as that of sweat. _Just like normal,_ he thought. He made his way through the bustling tavern to the counter, where an innkeeper was manning the bar. He smiled as Wolfe approached him.

"Why, hello there sir! What can I do for you?" the man asked. Wolfe nodded again.

"I was curious, good sir, if you happened to have any rooms available?" he asked politely.

The man's smile widened. "Of course! I currently have two rooms available for rent, right next to each other. Would that suite your purposes?"

Wolfe tapped the bar for a minute, thinking. _Well, I refuse to room with Bill for obvious reasons, and I don't think Gale would want to be with him either. So, I suppose we'll be roommates for the night._

He nodded at the inn keep again. "That will be fine, I'll take both of them. How much for a month?"

The man whistled softly, before thinking for a moment. Then he returned his attention to Wolfe. "Well, due to the fact that the plague was here recently, and my rooms have been in popular demand, the price has gone up considerably. Hopefully that won't prove to be a problem, but I can rent them out for 500 poke per week. Will that be satisfactory?" he asked.

Wolfe shrugged, then nodded. He reached into his cloak and withdrew a sack of coins. Then he counted out 2,000 poke, and calmly handed them to the man, who nodded in thanks.

"It's a pleasure to have you stay here, sir. Here are the keys, the room numbers are on them. The entrance to the sleeping area is right through that door back there. Just to let you know, I try to offer the best to my tenants, so every room has a layer of cork in the walls to try and reduce sound. So, you'll have whatever privacy you need, barring whatever rooms are next to you. One of these rooms is right at the edge of the building, with the other being the only one next to it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask for assistance," the man said hurriedly, as he handed Wolfe two keys with the numbers 29 and 30 on them.

"Thank you, good sir. Just to inform you, I may not personally sleep in them, but three pokemon will, an umbreon, a white vulpix, and a pikachu. Just felt that you should be made aware of who was sleeping in your building," Wolfe said graciously.

The man smiled and nodded. "Alright, I appreciate you informing me. You've already paid, so I wouldn't care normally, but I still appreciate you telling me. I hope that you enjoy your stay."

Wolfe nodded again, before turning to his right and walking through the door leading into the inn part of the building. Once there, he made his way down the hall towards the rooms he had purchased. Once at the door labeled as number 30, he opened it calmly.

Inside was a surprisingly quiet room, which Wolfe appreciated immensely. _Well, well. Looks like the inn keep wasn't lying about the soundproofing,_ he thought. There was one single bed in a corner, with a side table that had a lantern sitting on it. There was only a small window near the top of the wall to let in light during the day. That was all that was present for furnishing, but that was all that he needed. He quietly closed the door behind him as he left.

He retraced his steps out of the building, and back towards where he had left Gale. Once he was near, he stepped into an alley and transformed into an umbreon again, this time having a bag draped over his side. Then he trotted out towards where Gale was sitting and Bill was still panting.

"Well, I got us a place! Unfortunately, they only had two available rooms, so Hail, you and I will have to share. Shouldn't be a problem, right sis?" he asked with a wink at her. She huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Fine, if that's all that you could do. Well lead the way I guess," she replied. Wolfe nodded, and then gestured for them to follow with a flick of his tail, before padding back towards the inn.

He showed Bill his room, and then gave the pikachu his key, and then led Gale to their shared room. He psychically unlocked the door, and then pushed it open, before gesturing for her to enter first. She dipped her head, and then padded through the doorway, with Wolfe right behind. Once inside, he shut the door and locked it.

Then he turned to Gale, who was studying the room with a practiced eye. "Not bad. But why does it seem so quiet?" she asked.

Wolfe grinned. "Soundproofing. The innkeeper wanted to ensure his guests privacy, so he had a layer of cork installed. Which means, that we'll have plenty of alone time," he said, with a suggestive wink. She snorted, and then hopped on the bed.

"So I get the mattress, and you get the floor? After all, a lady shouldn't be left on the cold ground," she asked, grinning at him. He frowned.

"Uhm, hell no. I bought the rooms, so that means that I get the bed. But, since you're so cute, I'll share it with you," he replied. Now it was her turn to frown.

Then she sighed. "Ugh, fine. But one shady move on your part, and I'm having you on the floor, got it?"

Wolfe grinned, and then hopped on the bed. "Now what would you describe as shady?" he asked seductively, trailing his tail up her back as she shivered slightly. Then she ducked away from his touch.

"That right there, mister," she said. Wolfe pouted, and then shrugged.

"Suit yourself, but I'll always be here should you change your mind," he said sadly.

She giggled. "Well, I suggest that we sleep now and start patrolling tomorrow. It'll help keep your mind off of my sexy rear," she told him with a wink. He groaned and buried his face in his paws.

"And now you're teasing me, great," he moaned. Then he sighed, and looked up at the slit located near the ceiling. "But, it is getting rather late, so I'll agree." He looked at her with a sly grin. "Any chance of a good night kiss?" he asked winsomely.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said shortly. Then she stiffly walked up to him and placed a soft kiss on his mouth, to his surprise. Then she pulled away, and curled up to sleep. "Good night. You can join me if you'd like," she told him, to his further surprise.

Then he chuckled, and proceeded to lay down next to her, curling his body around her as he covered her with a paw. "Good night," he told her quietly.

"I didn't necessarily mean for you to be quite so close," she muttered. He chuckled again.

"But are you going to complain?" he asked.

She was quiet for a moment, before she sighed and cuddled deeper into him. "No, I suppose not," she murmured softly. He laughed softly, before gripping her tighter and closing his eyes.

"Good night, Wolfe," she told him after a while, speaking quietly. He stroked her with his paw gently.

"Good night, Gale."

 **[POV: Gale]**

It was strange. For whatever reason, during this entire mission, she couldn't recall having any of her usual nightmares. She had been sleeping better than she had in a long time, since before she joined the Dark Army. As she opened her eyes after her first night in the village, she had to let out a soft smile. While she may have been an ice type, she was still warm blooded, and she enjoyed having close contact while sleeping. So to be wrapped in Wolfe's warm embrace was a huge comfort to her.

She sighed happily. But, deep down, she knew that this couldn't last. Soon, after this mission, she and Wolfe would go their own ways, and she would be left back in her shitty life. That was the way things went. And there was nothing she could do about it.

But, she wouldn't dwell on it. For now, she would enjoy being this close with Wolfe. Being held like this. Feeling cared for. It was… nice. She slightly hated Wolfe for making her feel this way. Almost… loved… almost. But she couldn't truly hate him. There was just something about him, something about how he acted that just drew her to him. Which, was probably not a good thing, considering that she had a boyfriend, and he had a mate. Well, two of them.

She sighed again, this time a little sadly. Then she opened her eyes to peek out above Wolfe to check her surroundings, a habit she had developed back from her days as a mercenary. It had saved her more than few scars. Unfortunately, as soon as she raised her head, Wolfe tightened his grip on her, before releasing her and yawning.

"Oops! Sorry Wolfe, I didn't mean to wake you up," she apologized. He nodded sleepily.

"You're fine, hon. I was waking up anyway," he said drowsily.

Then he shook himself, and yawned again. "So, how'd you sleep anyway?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "I've had worse nights," she answered. Wolfe chuckled, before unwrapping his body from around her, and began to stretch. Gale took a moment to secretly admire his figure. He was obviously a fighter, if his muscular frame was anything to go by. As she cleaned her paw, she silently compared him to someone else that she knew. He was definitely more attractive. Then she shook her head to clear it.

"I suppose we should start our patrol. Any particular direction that you want to start?" he asked.

She thought about it for a moment, and then shrugged. "I suppose that we can start the direction that we came, so west, and the rotate towards the north. If we don't find anything today, we'll branch out further tomorrow," she replied. He nodded in agreement.

"I don't think that we need to take our little pikachu friend, odds are he'll only get himself killed," he observed.

Gale snorted in amusement. "Yeah, probably true," she agreed. Then she saw Wolfe glance at her slyly, and groaned internally.

"You know, our friend was asking me the other day if I could help him get a night in bed with you," he said mischievously.

She gagged softly. "Uh, no. Not happening. Ever. I'm not into pikachu's," she said, sounding disgusted.

Wolfe chuckled. "Are you sure? I hear that he's a real player back in his forest. That means that he has lots of experience," he said, while wiggling his eyebrows at her.

She snorted in amusement. "Yeah, well, he can save that 'experience' for his mouse friends back home."

He laughed, before making his way onto the floor. Gale saw the doorknob glow purple for a moment, followed by the door opening quietly. She nodded her appreciation at him as she padded through the door, only to feel his tail swat her rump. She snorted, and flicked him with one of her tails as she continued on her way, hearing him chuckle behind her.

She led the way out of the building, noticing that everything was quiet, and guessed that it was still early in the morning. Her guess was proven accurate as she stepped outside, into the early morning sun. She breathed in deeply, and smiled. _It's going to be a good day,_ she thought.

She led the way out of the village, with Wolfe only a few steps behind her, as she headed west. After traveling till she reached the tree line, she turned her direction northward, keeping her eyes peeled for any signs of pokemon, as that's who the scyther would be with. She wished that they had a more detailed description of their target. But, if it was really night time as the houndoom had said, well, she couldn't really complain.

 _Wait a minute,_ she thought. She turned to Wolfe, who was humming cheerfully again. "You said dark types can see in the dark, right?" she asked.

Wolfe shrugged, and then nodded. "Yes, yes we can. Why?"

She stopped walking, staring at him. "Does that include houndoom?" she asked.

Wolfe stopped as well, eyes widening. "Why didn't we think of that? Ugh, so it wouldn't have mattered if it was dark out, he'd still be able to see clearly. Which means, the houndoom was lying. Real question is, why?" he mused, looking thoughtful.

Gale sat down to think harder. "Well, why would he lie about something like that?"

Wolfe looked at the sky thoughtfully. "Well, people lie for lots of reasons, but there are two fairly common ones. One, they're scared of the consequences of their actions, and two, to save face. Now, this houndoom, how high up is he on the hierarchy?"

"Well, he's certainly not the lowest member in the DA. But, he's also not the highest, obviously. One thing that he is frequent in boasting about is how brave and fearless he is. So, that could easily be a reason. Save face."

Wolfe started to growl. "So, he was a coward and left his comrades behind?" he asked darkly.

Gale hesitated, then nodded. "That would be the best assumption for us to make," she said sadly. Wolfe continued to growl. Then he snorted and shook himself.

"Well, I'm going to have some words with this houndoom once we return to the base. Don't have much respect for someone who would abandon their comrades, regardless of the situation that they might be in," he said evenly.

Gale raised an eyebrow at him. "What if you die if you don't leave?" she asked.

He looked at her with a small smile. "It's better for one you care about to live, as opposed to you," he told her with a wink.

She frowned at him, before snorting in amusement. "Well, we'll see if you hold true to that under pressure," she teased. He shrugged with a smirk.

"I suppose we will, now won't we? Meanwhile, let's keep going. I don't know how long it'll take to patrol the area surrounding the town, and I want to get as far as we possibly can today. It'll make things easier for us tomorrow," he said, before heading off in the direction that they had been going, which was north. Gale shook her head and padded after him.

Half-way through the morning, she was wishing that something would happen, anything at all. She even started to wish that Bill would suddenly make an appearance, if only for something to happen. This was why she hated patrol missions. Then, a random thought struck her.

"Hey, Wolfe?" she asked. He flicked an ear at her to show he was listening. "Aren't your eggs supposed to hatch soon? Won't you be upset that you can't be there for that? I hear it's a magical time," she wondered.

He turned to look at her with a small smile. "Who's to say that I won't be there when they hatch? My mates are marked, so I can just teleport to them when I get contacted by one of them. Then, Gabe will bring me back out here to continue our mission," he told her. She blinked in surprise.

"Your mark actually does something? I just thought it was a symbol, and only a symbol. Didn't know it actually granted abilities to you," she said, awed. He chuckled at her.

"Yes, it actually does things for not only me, but for whoever is marked. For instance, I'll know if they are ever in danger. But, it does have a few… side effects, let's say," he said.

She frowned, and opened her mouth to speak, when a beam of light crashed in front of them, causing them both to leap backwards. As she avoided the Hyper Beam, and any possible attacks that might follow it, she looked towards the direction of where it had come from to see their aggressors.

Standing at the edge of the clearing stood a group of five pokemon, with one of them being cloaked. However, she could clearly tell that they were all the same type of pokemon, as their sizes and shapes were the exact same. Green blades gleamed menacingly in the sunlight, as a faint buzz filled the air due to their rapidly flapping wings. The cloaked scyther was the one that really drew her attention though.

This particular scyther was a lighter shade of green than the normal ones, as well as the fact that it was considerably larger than the others. _I think this is our guy,_ she thought in satisfaction. She looked at Wolfe, who was staring at the five scyther with an annoyed look.

"That's not a polite way to introduce yourself, you know that, right?" he asked.

The cloaked scyther laughed. "Oh my, my mistake, yes. My name is Crux, Crux it is, yes! And who might lunch be, hmm?" he asked back.

 _Yeap, he's the one,_ she thought. Then she frowned. "Wait, did you say lunch?"

He turned his body to look at her, even as he dropped his dark cloak. Once his face was visible, he grinned delightedly. "Oh, yes! Yes, yes, yes! Crux is a hungry scyther, yes he is! So, will Lunch answer Crux? Would be the polite thing to do, wouldn't it, hmm?"

Gale heard the sound of a paw making contact with a face, followed by a drawn out groan. She shook herself, and turned to look at Wolfe, who was currently dragging his paw down his face. She blinked at him.

"Ok, got it. Crux hungry, Crux want food. Clear on that. But, did you seriously ask us our names before you attempted to kill us? I feel like that's poor manners," he said, still groaning.

Crux blinked at him. Then his face turned deadly serious. "Are you mocking me?" he asked darkly, all playfulness gone. Wolfe grinned at him.

"Why, yes. Yes I was. Didn't think that you had caught onto that, but, apparently, you did! So, kudos!" Wolfe exclaimed, as he sat on his haunches and clapped his forepaws together. Gale sighed, and placed a paw over her face as she groaned.

Crux, however, looked livid. "I will not stand idly by as I am insulted," he said, glaring at Wolfe.

He snorted in amusement. "Then float, regardless, I'm still going to insult you. I don't take to kindly to someone who's killed multiple of my comrades, regardless of the reason," he said, before closing his eyes and concentrating. Then Gale saw a dark flash, and Wolfe was in his human form.

As she watched, he reached up and unclasped his cloak, letting it fall to the ground, revealing his armor. Gale took a moment to study it, as she had never really had an opportunity to. It was mostly chain mail, with some metal plates placed over necessary body parts, such as the sides of his shoulders, his chest, legs and arms. The only word she had to describe him, was intimidating.

He started to draw his daggers out of his sheaths, as the scyther all stared at him with amazement in their eyes. Then Crux shook his head, and glared again. "I'm unaware of which comrades of yours I have killed, but that doesn't really matter, now does it? For I most certainly have killed many pokemon and people. The real question is, what can you do about it? You might have surprised me with you suddenly turning into a different species, but I have a few tricks of my own," he said, flexing his arms to show off his blades.

Gale rolled her eyes, and let out a huff. "Boys, boys. Are we just going to be bragging here? Ugh, whatever. Crux, you have a bounty on your head, one that the Dark Army is aiming to collect," she told him.

His eye's brightened immediately. "Well then, isn't that a surprise! I just killed a couple of your group not too long ago. It was a shame that the fourth one was such a coward. Those other three were quite fun! And that weavile! She had such delectable flesh. And what a fight she had in her! It's a shame about that houndoom though," he said, licking his lips.

Gale lowered her body, and got into her own custom stance, one that suited her style of fighting immensely. With it, she could leap in any direction that she needed to, something that helped her win fights a lot. She also saw Wolfe get in a defensive ready position, which made sense from her watching him fight against Duke, as well as that Sin guy. He always waited for them to attack first.

Crux snorted, then waived a claw towards them, signaling for his groupies to attack them. Immediately, one scyther on either side of him flew forward, rapidly closing the distance between them and her. Then she focused solely on the fight ahead of her.

One of the scyther made its way towards her, holding one blade straight out in front of it as the other was raised overhead to deliver a strong blow. She narrowed her eyes slightly, watching the blade closest to her. That was the one she needed to avoid first.

As it neared her, she tensed herself, before quickly dodging to the right, avoiding the blade as it narrowly missed her. _Never waste energy on dodging more than you have to,_ she remembered from her old lessons. Not missing a beat, she leaped forward, slamming into the scyther's midsection, making it move backwards, as well as causing its downward blow to miss entirely.

Then she sent a breath of icy air at him, causing his wings and joints to freeze as he collapsed. He was down for now, so she could focus on her next target, which Crux sent at them with a sigh. Then Crux himself sped towards them. She risked a glance at Wolfe, then returned her attention to Crux as she saw him plunge a dagger into the side of the scyther's skull.

The two scyther other than Crux both made a beeline towards her, leaving their leader to deal with Wolfe. Gale braced herself once more, and then leaped backwards to dodge two swipes. She twisted her body to avoid their dual downward swipes, leaped to the right, and then fired an Ice Beam, watching with satisfaction as it punched through one of the scyther's neck, as its eyes glazed over. Then it collapsed.

The other scyther glared at her, and then sped up its attack, apparently upset about its fallen comrade. She ducked under a side swipe, and then leaped in the air as the blade suddenly reversed direction, heading for her legs. She landed, and then rolled to the side to avoid a thrust from the scyther.

She fired another Ice Beam at it, but she hadn't had time to fully build her energy after the last one, so instead of it making its way clean through the insect, it just froze the outside portion of its hide, hindering its movement. It chittered angrily, and then shook itself, trying to rid itself of the annoying ice. It didn't work, so it just charged at her again, coming in from her right. She rolled underneath it, then leaped to her feet and turned to face it as it performed a flip, allowing it to head back towards her.

It was just about to reach her, when it suddenly veered away. She blinked in surprise, and then let out an 'oof' as something impacted her armor, sending her into the side of a tree, knocking the air out of her as she fell to the ground with a 'thud'.

She laid there, trying to get her breath back, as she watched two scyther coming at her at an incredible rate. The one who she had immobilized earlier had recovered, and launched a surprise attack at her. _Come on, Valentine! Move it! Get. Up,_ she screamed internally, as she struggled to her feet. Right when they were only a few feet away from her, she saw two dark blurs flash at the edge of her vision, and impact the two scyther. They stiffened mid-air, and then crashed into the ground, skidding to a halt a few inches from her.

She stared at them, shocked. Then she saw the two handles protruding from their sides, with the blades having punctured their vital organs. She blinked then gasped and shot her gaze towards Wolfe, who was currently unarmed and using his gauntleted hands to redirect Crux's blades from scoring any hits. She ignored the burning sensation in her lungs, and sprinted towards the two to assist Wolfe.

As she neared, she noticed that the scyther was covered in cuts and puncture wounds, a dark green fluid escaping out from its body. She also noticed that Wolfe didn't appear to have any injuries, with only a few dents visible on his chest and shoulder plates. She fired another Ice Beam, however her aim was slightly off due to her sprinting so fast, so instead of sending the beam clean through Crux's midsection, it took a chunk out of its leg.

Regardless, this threw off his concentration to the point where Wolfe landed a roundhouse kick, sending the lighter bug flying into a tree nearby, where it collapsed. Wolfe turned his attention to the vulpix running at him.

"Thanks for the assist," he told her, waving a hand at Crux's still form. She huffed, breathing slightly harder as she came to a stop next to him.

"You're welcome. Thanks for the save," she said, nodding her head back towards the dead scyther. He waved a hand dismissively.

"You're very welcome. Couldn't let something as cute as you get killed," he told her with a wink. She rolled her eyes with a huff as she sat down.

"Even after a relatively serious fight like that, you still can't help but…" she broke off with a grunt as Wolfe suddenly tackled her. Mid tackle, she heard him let out a grunt of pain. Then they came to a stop, with him panting over her. Then he coughed, and she felt blood splatter against her fur and armor.

"You good, hon?" he asked her. She just mutely nodded, eyes wide. Then he groaned, and she felt his body lift up slightly, before it sagged again. She heard someone chuckle from behind him.

"Thought you had Crux there, did you? Told you he had tricks, that Crux did," a voice said gleefully. Wolfe grunted again, as she felt something impact his body. Then again. And again. The fourth time, she felt some spurt against her lower body, as well as seeing a sharp object, covered in blood punch through Wolfe's torso.

Then she saw the blade withdraw from Wolfe's body, and heard Crux buzz away. Wolfe breathed hard for a minute, then collapsed at her side, breathing hard.

"Sorry dear, but I think I'm going to rest my eyes for a moment," he coughed out. Her eyes widened as she got to her feet and stared at him. She saw his chest rising and falling quickly as he panted. Even as she watched, she saw it start to slow. Then he coughed once more, and he ceased breathing.

"Wolfe?" she whispered. She poked him with her paw. "Wolfe?"

"Ooh, Crux got him! Crux got him good!" she heard the scyther exclaim. She turned her gaze to look at him, and saw that he was bleeding from the cuts Wolfe had given him. She even saw the imprint of his boot on Crux's midsection. The scyther followed her gaze, and then frowned.

"And he got Crux fairly good as well," he observed. Then he shrugged, and as she watched, she heard a soft sucking sound, and saw the blood on his blades start to disappear. Then she gasped in shock as she saw his wounds start to seal shut. Two minutes later, the only wound still visible on him was the chunk missing in his leg from her Ice Beam.

He rolled his shoulders, then performed a little flip, before looking at Wolfe with a faint hint of amusement. "Crux finds it amusing, but if he hadn't thrown away his daggers to save you, useless vulpix, he probably would have killed Crux. Crux noticed that he cared for you, so Crux attacked weak vulpix to try and get demon to sacrifice himself for you. Teach him to mock demon! Now Crux's God rewards Crux for his efforts!" Crux exclaimed.

Gale jolted backwards, as if struck with a physical blow. _He's right,_ she thought, eyes filling with tears. _If he didn't save me, he'd still be alive. Why? Why would he do this for me?_ She started to cry softly, even as she remembered his words a few hours earlier.

' _It's better for one you care about to live, as opposed to you.'_

"Why?" she asked, as she buried her face in her paws. "Why would he do so much for me?"

"Are you talking to Crux? Because Crux can't hear wimpy vulpix. Vulpix needs to speak up," Crux said. She raised her head to look at him through her tears. He was looking at her curiously. Then he shrugged, and flew towards one of his fallen groupies, the one Wolfe had first killed. "Crux is hungry now, so Crux will leave small creature to herself, as well as her guardian," he told her matter of factly, before impaling the dead scyther on his blades, and taking the carcass off into the woods.

Gale watched him as he disappeared, before she stumbled to her feet and looked at Wolfe again. She made her way to his corpse, and then collapsed with her head resting on top of his chest. Then she cried. She cried for the man who she was beginning to call a friend. She cried for his children who would never know their father. She cried for his mates, who would never again see the one they loved most alive. She cried for all of his flirty comments that she would never hear again. But mostly, she cried for her own short comings. She cried till she couldn't cry any more. Then she faded off to sleep.

 _She dreamed she was sitting in a field filled with flowers, with the full moon shining down on top of her. As she looked around, she saw that trees were surrounding her, giving the clearing a peaceful feel to it. As she looked around, she also saw Wolfe, in his human form, speaking with a creature that she recognized as a ninetales. But this one was pure, snow white. The only thing that was a different color were her hind legs, which were black up to a certain point, making it look like the ninetales was wearing socks._

 _She had to admit, it was a very beautiful creature. She let out a sad smile as she saw Wolfe bend down to hug the creature. Then she saw something flash on its back left leg, and gasped softly. Then Wolfe and the creature he was hugging started to fade out of sight, as she started to take a few steps towards them. Then she started sprinting, feeling determined to reach them for some reason. Right before she reached them, her vision shattered as her dream turned to darkness._

She blinked open her eyes, and raised her head to look around, noticing that the sun was starting to go down now. _Must have been sleeping for longer than I thought,_ she thought to herself, emotionlessly. She laid her head back down onto Wolfe's chest, and sighed sadly.

"So much for none of us dying," she said quietly, closing her eyes again.

"Well, I guess I should have said permanently. But I felt that that would raise some rather awkward questions, don't you think?" Wolfe asked, sounding amused.

Gale's head shot up quicker then she could have imagined as she stared at Wolfe's face. His eyes were closed, and he looked the same as he did ever since he had collapsed. She lowered her ears sadly, as she looked down at his chest.

"Great, now I'm hearing his voice," she muttered, almost crying again. Then she felt his gauntleted hand stroke her back, and her head shot up to look into his grey eyes as he smiled at her.

"Well I would hope you would, I mean, I don't like wasting my breath," he told her, still smiling. She stared at him in amazement.

"Wolfe?" she whispered. He nodded with a smile.

"Yes, I believe that people call me that," he said cheerfully.

She stared at him, speechless, as he eased himself into a sitting position with a groan, her moving out of the way as he did so. Then she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Turn into an umbreon real quickly," she ordered. He raised an eyebrow at her, then shrugged and closed his eyes. His figure gave off a dark flash, and then he was in his pokemon form, shaking his body out as he did so.

"Alright, anything else you need?" he asked.

She didn't bother to answer, instead she just tackled him to the ground, nuzzling him furiously, much to his shock.

"How are you alive?!" she exclaimed, still rubbing her cheek against him.

He chuckled, as he wrapped his paws around her. "Well, that's sort of a long story," he said.

She stopped her affections long enough to glare at him. "Spill," she ordered. Then she continued to nuzzle him as he laughed.

"Fine, I suppose I can tell you. But keep this quiet, alright?" he asked. She let out a quiet hum to show that she would.

Over the next ten minutes, she listened in amazement as he told her of his past. He told her how he was from a totally different world, one where pokemon didn't exist and they fought with weapons that could kill from over 1,000 feet. He told her of how is family was killed when he was only fifteen years old. He told her of him enlisting in a military when his side was losing a hopeless war. He told her of the first time he killed a man. He told her of how he watched his friend die in front of him. He told her of his actions while in combat.

He told her of how he died.

Then he told her of how he was revived in her world, with multiple abilities that no one had ever seen before. And she drank in absolutely every drop of his words, as well as his scent. Finally, he told her about how he next died, and was brought back a little later.

After he had finished speaking, Gale stared at him for a moment. Then she blinked. "So, you can't die then?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nope."

She frowned at him. "Is that the only reason that you did what you did for me?" she begged, half hoping that he would say yes. That would make her life so much simpler.

But, it wasn't to be. "Nope," he said again, smiling at her.

She frowned, and lowered her gaze. "Why then?"

He chuckled, and began to stroke her softly with his paw. "Because you're my comrade, Gale. There's absolutely nothing I won't do for a comrade in need. I suppose that I see it as them replacing my family…" he said, before his voice trailed off and he gained an unfocused look on his face. She frowned, and poked him with her paw.

He blinked, then smiled at her again. "Sorry about that, I was answering a few questions. Gabe was wanting to know what had happened," he apologized. She shrugged, and then hopped off of him after taking a glance at the sky again.

"It's getting late. We should probably head back to our room in the village," she told him briskly, trying to shake off any soppy emotions. He laughed, and then agreed.

"Lead the way," he told her with a wink. She glared at him, before giggling.

"You just enjoy looking at my ass, don't you?" she asked. He shrugged with a winsome smile.

"Not going to deny that. Now, if you'd be so kind," he said, gesturing with a paw for her to begin walking. She laughed, and did as he said.

An hour later, when the sky was pitch black as night-time took over, the two pokemon walked into the inn that was housing them for their duration of stay, with Gale still in the lead. She led the way through the door that was the entrance to the sleeping area, and then padded down the hall to their door, where she motioned for Wolfe to open it.

As the key turned in the door, the room next to them shot open, revealing a very disgruntled pikachu. His eyes brightened when he saw them.

"Where have you been!?" he asked.

Gale and Wolfe shared a look, before turning to him and shrugging. "We spent the day enjoying the sights around this lovely little village," Wolfe told him. He blinked, and then frowned.

"You ditched me!" he exclaimed. Gale giggled as she pushed her and Wolfe's door open and entered the room.

"We woke up early and felt it would be rude to wake you," she heard Wolfe excuse them as she hopped onto their shared bed. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we're fairly tired after our day and would like to sleep."

Then she heard the door slam on an indignant Bill, and laughed again. She turned to watch Wolfe pad up to the bed, before he hopped onto it.

"Well, he seemed upset," she giggled. Wolfe chuckled, and nodded in agreement. She smiled, and then laid down to curl up and sleep. She felt Wolfe's body surround her, and let out a soft sound as his head laid down next to hers.

"Any chance on a bit of 'fun' tonight to help take our minds off of things?" he asked hopefully. She snorted in amusement, and then turned her body so she was facing him, noticing his eyes were closed already as though he knew what her answer would be.

"Sure," she said softly. His eyes shot open as he stared at her in surprise.

"Wait, really?" he asked eagerly. She nodded with a small smile. Then his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why?" he asked.

She giggled again, before kissing him deeply, much to his obvious delight. When she broke away, she gazed at him with half lidded eyes. "Because, mister, today you willingly placed yourself into harm's way just for the sake of my well-being. I don't care if you're immortal or not, no one has _ever_ done that for me. So, I suppose you can consider it my thanks. As well as an apology for not being good enough," she said, finishing the sentence off sadly.

Wolfe frowned at her. "Gale, I don't know what you're talking about. You've been nothing but outstanding today. You held your own against two, almost three opponents, while I only dealt with singular targets. Hell, you even helped me with one of them. I don't care what you think, there is no one who I would have rather had on that field out there with me," he told her seriously.

She frowned at him. "What about Gabe? Or Sin? Or Cordina? Or even Lura?"

He chuckled as he held her close to him for a moment. "Gabe is a good friend of mine, possibly my best friend. But, he has kids to go home to, as well as a loving mate. I wouldn't want him to risk all of that. Besides, he's not nearly as fun to flirt with. Sin is also a good friend, and together we would probably be unstoppable, but he has a tendency to go overboard a little, and would leave me with almost nothing to do. As for Cordina and Lura, I would much prefer them way out of harm's way. So, no. You were the perfect partner today," he answered, and she could see the honesty in his gaze, as well as hear them in his words.

She blushed slightly, before lowering her gaze. "Well, I'm glad that I was here today then. For the record, there's also no one I would rather have on that field either," she replied, still blushing. He chuckled, and brought her into another kiss, to her not so secret delight. Then he broke away with a large grin.

"So, any other doubts?" he asked. She shook her head no. "And do you still want to mate with me tonight?"

She hesitated for only a second, and then she nodded. "Yes," she breathed. "Yes, I do."

He smiled at her gently, and kissed her again. "Good," he whispered as he pulled away.

 **VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

 **LEMON WARNING: M/F**

 **[Third Person POV]**

Wolfe got out of his laying down position, and then stood over her as he kissed her again, causing her breathing rate to increase. He licked her lips softly, and she parted her mouth willingly, letting him enter her. He drew his tongue over her fangs again, loving how they felt pricking against his tongue.

He felt her moan softly into his mouth, as her own tongue left hers to explore his, causing him to moan as well. He felt her bite his lip gently, and growled softly. Then he returned the favor, hearing a blissful moan escape her maw into his mouth. Then he pulled away, grinned at her, before leaning down to kiss her once more as she smiled up at him.

Then he broke away, and turned his attention to her waiting pussy, moving his head down her body towards it. Once he was hovering above it, he lowered his head, and kissed right above her slit, making eye contact with her as he did so. Then he moved his mouth even lower, till his maw was placed right above her cunt, still maintaining eye contact. Then he winked, and started to lick her gently, feeling a rush of liquid as her body expressed its pleasure at his actions.

He lowered his mouth even closer, until it was touching her lower lips, at which time he gently eased his tongue inside of her, hearing her gasp in delight. He chuckled softly, before he started to explore her cavern in a way he'd wanted to since their mission began. He felt her clench on his tongue softly, and decided to make things more interesting.

He drew his tongue along her inner walls, and then pulled his tongue out, before thrusting it back into her, loving her delightful moans as they reached his ears. He pulled his head away slightly, before moving his tongue to where her clit was located. Then he began to tease it gently with his tongue.

Gale moaned loudly as she felt him play with her body. _Damn, he's good at this,_ she thought breathlessly. She let out a sharp squeak as she felt him start to nibble on her clit gently, as well as sucking on it. "Oh~" she moaned. She felt her body release even more fluid, as she felt her orgasm start to build.

"Wolfe~, you're so~ good~" she exclaimed. She faintly heard him chuckle in amusement, and then felt him plunge his tongue back in between her lips, causing her to let out a soft squeal of delight. She placed her paws on the back of his head, keeping his mouth attached to her, though she didn't think that he really wanted to pull away at all.

"Oh, Arceus," she breathed, feeling him increase his tongues speed as it fucked her. She started to pant heavily, feeling as though she was right on the edge of her breaking point. Then she felt his claws dig into the side of her hips as he forced his head even harder into her snatch, and she just lost it, screaming his name as she orgasmed heavily.

Wolfe was enjoying her body's reaction, loving the way her juices tasted. Luckily for him, it took a long time for her to come down off her orgasm, and he drank every drop she gave him. Once she was done, he pulled away and licked his maw. He winked at her, and climbed back on top of her, before bringing her into another lustful kiss, which took her breath away. Then he pulled away and stared down at her, as she panted up at him.

"Ready to go on?" he asked seductively. She nodded, as he hopped off of her. She rolled herself onto her belly, and then stood up, raising her ass and lowering her upper body as she looked back at him. She winked sensually at him, and raised her six tails, revealing herself to him completely.

He let out an approving growl, and then positioned his body so that he was right behind her. Then he reared back on his hind legs, before mounting her, prodding her slit with the tip of his member. He heard her moan again, as he lowered his head so it was right next to hers.

"I want to hear you sing loud and clear, alright hon? Don't be afraid to let the world hear your cries of pleasure, okay? I hope your sexy self is ready for me, 'cause I guarantee that it's going to be a tight fit," he told her huskily. She looked him in the eyes, and then nodded with a nervous smile. Wolfe winked at her, before he kissed her. Then he broke away, and gently eased himself into the smaller pokemon.

He let out a gasp of pure pleasure when he first felt her warm pussy envelope his dick. "Oh, holy fuck this is going to be good," he gasped out. He saw her bite her lower lip, revealing a pointy fang as she struggled to take his size even as she nodded her agreement. Then he moaned loudly, hearing her join him in song as he did so.

Gale felt herself being stretched in a way she had never imagined before, feeling all sorts of new pleasures rise in her body. When he was about halfway into her, she gasped loudly, previously untouched places finally being filled. "Holy shit, how big are you?" she asked loudly. He chuckled.

"Want to find out?" he asked in her ear. She nodded once, then screamed as he slammed himself into her as far as he could, with her barely being able to take all of it. "About that big," he told her cheekily. She just nodded shakily, her body too wracked with pleasure to form any coherent sentences.

He then pulled himself out of her partially, before slamming back into her, rocking the bed forward as he did so. "Oh, fuck me Gale, you're so _tight_!" he exclaimed. She let out a soft giggle.

"I already am fucking you," she replied. He chuckled, before he lowered his body so that his chest and belly were placed flat against her back and armor.

"We'll see who's fucking who," he whispered, and before she could respond, he began to rut her furiously, causing any shred of mental cohesion to fall apart in an instant. All that she was aware of was the sensation of her being filled to her absolute capacity, as well as the dominant male who was giving her such pleasures. Each time she felt his crotch slam into her ass, she also felt herself being forced forward, to the point where all she could do was just accept that she was his toy for the moment.

Wolfe growled in annoyance as he felt the rim of her armor dig into his belly as he fucked her. _That's coming off,_ he thought darkly. As he continued to fuck her senseless, his subconscious worked on locating the armors straps that held it in place. His eyes located them, and as luck would have it, they were located on her back.

With a growl, he slammed himself into her all the way to the hilt, feeling her walls spasm around him as he did so, and used a claw to undo the straps locking his greatest annoyance in place. He felt her orgasm for the second time right as her armor fell off, revealing her toned and deeply attractive figure to him. He growled in victory, then grabbed the back of her neck in his jaw as he began to fuck her even harder than he had before, using his hold on her scruff to force her head down, giving him better access to her body.

Gale didn't even notice her armor falling off of her, as Wolfe increased his speed. When she felt his teeth dig into her skin, she let out another loud moan of pleasure. She thrust her body backwards, driving her ass into his crotch as he forced himself inside of her furiously. She began to pant again, feeling another orgasm build up even as her front legs were threatening to give out.

Wolfe moaned into the back of her neck, even as her legs collapsed out from underneath her, with her moaning loudly, and her tongue bouncing freely from her mouth as she did so. He let out another growl and released her scruff, before he wrapped his paws around her and flipped her onto her back, not missing a beat in his thrusting as he did so. Then he leaned down and kissed her, forcing his tongue into her mouth as she accepted it willingly.

He felt her paws clutch his shoulders tightly, and felt her walls spasm as she orgasmed a fourth time. He smiled into her mouth, before wrapping his paws around her torso and bringing her in close to him. Then he flipped onto his back, with her standing on top of him as he thrust himself upwards into her, enjoying the look in her eyes as she was now riding him. It was a little more difficult to do as a pokemon, but still very manageable.

She broke their kiss and sat up, before tilting her head back and moaning into the room, as Wolfe licked and kissed her chest, adding to her pleasure as he thrust up in to her. Then she looked down at him lustfully and kissed him, as he eagerly returned her affection. He only broke away to speak with her for a moment.

"Gale, when we get back to the Dark Army's headquarters, I want us to do this again. Next time, however, I want to try something different with you, something that I personally enjoy immensely, and something that I'm confident you will enjoy as well," he told her.

She leaned her head down to hear him better, before asking, "And what might that be?"

He chuckled and kissed her cheek, before rolling over so that he was thrusting down into her, much to her delight. "Anal," he gasped shortly.

She moaned loudly, as she came a fifth time. "Yes! Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!" she screamed. He chuckled and kissed her again, quickly.

"Promise?" he asked after their kiss ended, and he slowed his thrusts. She looked at him pleadingly.

"Yes, I promise, we can do this however many times you want, however you want and whenever you want! I promise! Just please, keep going," she begged. He kissed her once more, before he pulled away.

"Gladly," he told her, before he began to thrust into her as hard as he was before, causing her to scream in pleasure. He moaned again as he felt his knot develop, feeling her inviting cavern trying to suck him in.

Gale moaned loudly as she felt his swollen knot threatening to enter her. She was lucky that her species could only procreate during certain times of the year, and this wasn't her time. That was already passed a while ago, so she would let him cum wherever he wanted.

"Gale," he gasped out. "Getting pretty close. Where do you want it?" he asked, in between pants. She answered his question by wrapping her paws around him again, and pulling him into her as hard as she could. She let out another scream of pleasure as she felt his thick not spread her already stretched slit open even further, before it squeezed inside of her with a soft 'pop'.

She felt Wolfe kiss her, even as he still tried to thrust himself in and out of she moaned loudly as she felt Wolfe start to pump his thick seed inside of her womb, even as she came for the final time that night, loving the feeling of being filled by him. She also didn't mind being tied to him for however long they were tied together for. Hell, she was falling asleep already anyway. She heard Wolfe chuckle in amusement as her eyes began to close.

 **LEMON END**

 **VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

 **[POV: Gale]**

"Gale, I have to say, that you are absolutely _amazing,_ " she heard him whisper into her ear, not having realized that they were no longer kissing.

"Good," she murmured sleepily. He chuckled at her, before he wrapped his body around her. She sighed blissfully, loving the sensation of his chest fur pressing against her back fur. She couldn't help but feel that this was wrong somehow. Something was missing, but whatever it was, it was escaping her for the moment. She decided to just sleep on it and see what happened.

She was close to falling asleep when she heard someone start to speak to them from their doorway.

"Holy fuck, that is so _hot_!" Bill exclaimed. Gale opened an eye to see the pikachu staring at them in pure amazement. "I never thought that watching some guy fuck their sister would be such a turn on, but holy _hell_ am I turned on right now. Man, how I wish I was in your place right now, Zero," the pikachu said excitedly. She groaned, and then turned her head to glare at Wolfe, who was staring at the doorway with a straight face on.

"Hail," he said. "I may or may not have forgotten to lock the door when we came in here."

She groaned, and face pawed. "Zero, sometimes you have absolutely no sense whatsoever. Didn't you think that it might be a problem if someone, oh I don't know, walked in on you fucking your sister?" she asked him, keeping a perfectly straight face. He didn't bother to look at her, still staring at Bill.

"No, no it did not. And I certainly didn't expect to have a conversation with said person while I was still tied to said sister," he replied, also keeping a perfectly straight face.

Bill grinned at them, and then waved as he walked out of the room. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me! I actually think that it's kind of hot! Especially if you end up knocking her up! Now I know why you were so adamant in not helping me out, you were already doing the nasty with her! Oh, you two have made my life, I'll remember tonight for as long as I live!" he exclaimed, before he shut the door behind him.

Gale and Wolfe exchanged a glance, and then burst out laughing at the sheer absurdity of what had happened.

 **[POV: Bill]**

"Damn, now I wish that I had a sister," he muttered, as he walked through his open door and onto his bed. He sighed. "Oh well, maybe they'll extend their little love duo."

His eyes brightened as an idea caught on in his head and he shut the door and locked it. "Ooh, I can blackmail them! Tell them that I'll tell their folks if they don't let me in! No, that's stupid. I don't even know their folks. Ugh," he groaned.

He took a few steps into the room when another thought struck him. He turned to the now closed door, and frowned. "Wait, didn't I shut you when I left?" he asked. Then he heard something drop to the floor behind him.

"Why yes, yes little mouse did! But Crux didn't think that was too nice when you were expecting guests, so Crux left it open for you. Did you enjoy that little show those two siblings gave you? Crux certainly hopes so, as Crux would want his little midnight snack be happy before he gets eaten, now wouldn't he?" a cheerful voice asked him.

Bill froze in sheer terror, before he slowly turned around to look at whoever the owner of the voice was. His eyes widened in horror as he saw the silhouette of a biped pokemon with twin blades for arms. One of the blades raised itself into the air, and Bill screamed, before he was cut off by one of the blades as it sliced through the air.

"Oh no, we can't have that, now can we snack? After all, my God doesn't appreciate a sacrifice who is so cowardly! But don't you worry snack, Crux has you all nicely prepared for his sacrifice! What say you? Are you honored to be Crux's sacrifice, eh little snack?" Crux asked the pikachu.

Bill didn't answer, lifeless eyes staring at the dark ceiling. Crux tutted in disappointment. "Oh, for shame, it's not nice to ignore people little snack. But, oh well. Crux may as well eat now," the scyther said as he approached the pikachu's corpse.

The only thing heard in the room after that was the sound of Bill's body being ripped apart and devoured.

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

The next day, Wolfe was the first one to wake up, with Gale still sleeping while wrapped in his embrace. He raised his head and yawned. Then he gazed at the sleeping vulpix next to him and smiled. She really was quite breathtaking without her armor on. Though he had to admit, the armor held a certain charm for her. He lowered his head to nuzzle her gently, not wanting to wake her. As he did so, he felt multiple bumps, and frowned.

Then he studied her torso, and his eyes widened in shock. Her entire body, or at least where the armor normally sat, was covered in scars of varying shapes and sizes. _Oh lord, Gale, what happened to you,_ he wondered? As he peered at them closer, he recognized them as claw wounds, probably from a canine.

Then she began to stir, signaling that she was waking up. She did so, giving a cute yawn that showed off her sharp fangs, much to his delight. He liked her fangs. They were cute. She raised her head, and then looked around her with some confusion, eyes blinking sleepily.

"Why, good morning sis!" he exclaimed.

Gale snorted in amusement before turning her head to look at him. As she did so, however, her eyes landed on her discarded armor. Then they widened in horror as she shot a glance at Wolfe. "When… when did I take my armor off?" she asked in a whisper.

Wolfe frowned at her, and sighed. "I don't remember, to be honest. Probably last night. Gale… is there anything that you want to talk about? You have some pretty serious scarring there, and the fact that you go through so much trouble to hide them… Gale, is something going on with you?" he asked worriedly.

She shook herself, and then ran to her armor and began to put it on expertly. "Last night was a mistake, I really shouldn't have done that," she whispered to herself, seemingly ignoring Wolfe's questions. He jerked his head back, slightly hurt.

"Gale, I'm sure that you don't really mean that," he said softly.

She shook herself, and then glared at him. "No, I do mean that! I have a boyfriend!" she shouted.

"Calm down, Gale. Your boyfriend isn't going to find out, this is just between us," he said, attempting to placate her.

She began to shake softly. "You don't understand! He's the third most important pokemon in the Dark Army! If he finds out about this…" her voice trailed off, eyes glazing over.

Wolfe's eyes immediately narrowed. "Gale, this boyfriend of yours. Does he… harm you? Either physically or mentally?" he asked suspiciously.

Her head jerked back, as she stared at him with wide eyes. Then she vehemently shook her head. Wolfe's eyes narrowed even further.

"Are you sure about that? Gale, you can trust me. I'm not going to do anything that will harm you, nor will I be the cause of anything that harmed you. I just need you to trust me, alright?" he asked.

She kept staring at him, looking fearful. "How can I possibly do that?" she asked quietly.

Wolfe's body flinched backwards in surprise. Then his eyes clouded over with sadness, as he looked down at the ground.

"I can't tell you why or how you should do something, Gale. I can't. I don't have the right. But… I hope you realize how much trust I put in you yesterday after Crux. I told you absolutely everything there was to know about me, some of which I'm really not proud of. But, I trust you. You're my sister in arms, and if I can trust you with something as important as my life, I can easily trust you with something as simple as my past," he told her softly. Then he hopped off of the bed and made his way out into the hall.

"Where are you going?" she called after him.

"To find something to relieve my mind," he told her, before he exited their room.

 **[POV: Unknown]**

 _Hmm. Well, this looks like as good a place as any,_ it thought as it entered a tavern. It looked around the room, searching to see if anything caught its eye. It didn't immediately see anyone, so it made its way over to an empty table. Or at least, it thought it was empty.

Sitting there, with his head pressed against the table, was an umbreon, obviously male if its figure was anything to go by. But then again, it knew better than anyone that looks can be deceiving. _Well, maybe he'll be the one._

"What's an attractive and strong 'mon such as yourself doing looking so sad?" it asked cheerfully.

The umbreon raised its head to look at it, and then sighed. "I'm sorry, pretty lady, but I'm not in the mood right now. I have a lot on my mind," he told it.

The shiny sylveon frowned, before casually sitting down across from him, activating one of its powers as it did so. _I told myself I wouldn't but it's been way too long since I've had a male inside of me._

"Awh, that's no fun! Maybe I can help you relieve some of your issues!" it told the umbreon.

He growled, and looked up to glare at the sylveon. "I told you, I'm not…" his voice trailed off as his eyes glazed over. Then he shook himself and his eyes cleared. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? The name's Zero, at your service. Now then, what can I do for a pretty 'mon such as yourself? And do you think that such a beauty as yourself would deign to tell me their name?" the umbreon asked.

The sylveon giggled. "Why, yes! Yes I would. My name is Neotoxe, but you, handsome, may call me Toxy or Tox, whichever suites your fancy! And as for what you can do for me, well~, I've been awfully lonely recently, and am a little 'pent up', if you know what I mean. I was hoping that you would be able to help me?" it asked.

Zero smiled at it. "Well then, Toxy, I would be more than happy to assist you! If you would be so kind as to follow me, I'll take you to my room that I have rented for the month, and I can, 'relieve', you there!"

Toxy giggled, and then quickly nodded. "Sounds fun! Please, lead the way!"

Zero didn't need to be told twice, and was soon headed towards a door at the back of the room that the sylveon had somehow missed. Toxy shrugged, and then followed the male, skipping along happily.

The umbreon led the way to the end of the hall, and stopped in front of a room that was labeled as 30. As they passed room 29, the sylveon crinkled its nose in disgust. _Someone needs to deal with whatever is stinking up that room,_ it thought. Luckily, Zero's room was odor free, which the sylveon appreciated.

Inside, it immediately noticed a white vulpix sitting on the bed, looking worried. As soon as it saw Zero, its eyes brightened considerably.

"There you are! Listen, I want to apologize-," she started, before Zero cut her off.

"Don't. Just… go, please," he said sadly.

Hurt flashed in the vulpix's eyes, though it quickly turned to anger. Then she sighed, and spotted the sylveon in the room. "And who's she?" she asked angrily, pointing a paw at Toxy, who giggled.

"Toxy~" the sylveon exclaimed. The vulpix rolled its eyes, and glared at Zero.

"Gee, don't I feel special now. Thought that you weren't so low as to pick up some random chick in a tavern. Whatever, I don't care. Have fun," she growled, before jumping off the bed and stalking past the sylveon. "I hope you enjoy yourself," she hissed to the fairy eeveelution as she exited the room. Toxy frowned.

"Who was she?" the sylveon asked.

Zero sighed. "My partner. We had a bit of a falling out this morning. But, that's not important. What's important is your urges, Toxy," he said, with a wink at the sylveon. Toxy giggled.

"Ooh, I like the sound of that. Shall we then?"

 **VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

 **LEMON WARNING: M/M**

 **[Third Person POV]**

"But first, let's start with you," the sylveon told Wolfe. Wolfe shrugged, and smiled. Then he hopped on the bed.

"Be my guest," he said, gesturing to his crotch as he did so. Toxy giggled.

"I hope you don't mind returning the favor," the sylveon said, hopping onto the bed next to Wolfe. Wolfe shrugged with a smile.

"I don't mind one bit. Just lay down on your back," he told it.

Toxy giggled, and then laid down before rolling onto his back. "You're in for a little surprise~" it exclaimed, and Wolfe quickly saw why.

"Ooh, you're a boy are you? Well now, this should be fun!" the umbreon exclaimed.

Toxy blinked in surprise. "That… doesn't bother you?" he asked hopefully. Wolfe shrugged with a smile.

"Nope! I don't discriminate one bit!" he replied. Then he stood over the other male with his sheath hovering right over Toxy's mouth. The sylveon wasted no time in getting started, licking at the umbreon's hidden member, which quickly revealed itself to him. Toxy giggled, before enveloping its tip in his warm maw, and starting to suck gently, even as Wolfe returned the favor.

As the umbreon's member grew, Toxy's eyes widened. "Oh my, you're quite gifted, now aren't you?!"

Wolfe chuckled. "As are you, my sexy male friend," he replied, before taking the sylveon's cock into his mouth as far as he could. He felt his own member suddenly get enveloped in a warm, soft, and wet mouth and moaned. Then he started to bob his head on the fairy male's dick, taking it in as far as he could, feeling more than a little of it enter his throat, to his delight.

Toxy moaned blissfully, even as his own maw was filled. But, he didn't want this to go on for too long, as he was very anxious to be filled. That thought in mind, he regretfully pulled himself away from the umbreon's member, and then tapped the umbreon himself.

"I don't mean to rush things, but you're quite good at this. Do you mind if we get to the main event?" he asked.

Wolfe removed the dick from his mouth, and then looked back at the male below him. "Well, someone's eager. Sure, I don't mind. I've been wanting to fuck that tight looking ass of yours since I first laid eyes on it," he answered seductively. Toxy giggled, and then crawled out from under the male and presented himself to him.

"Well then, fill me up big boy! I hope that I'm pleasing in more ways than looks," he said seductively.

Wolfe chuckled, and then mounted the male, pressing his semi-lubed tip against the fairy's puckered anal ring. "Well, I hope your sexy ass is as tight as it looks! This'll be fun," he said. Then he pushed himself forward, feeling his member being practically swallowed by the male's asshole. He moaned softly, and then began to rock his body in and out, enjoying the friction that the partial lube created.

Toxy winced, shifting his paws to try and adjust for the large rod currently impaling him. Then he sighed happily, finally feeling another male's manhood fill his tight ass up. He started to rock his body in time with Wolfe's thrusts, moaning happily all the while.

Wolfe started to pant, enjoying the sylveon's efforts to milk him. He began to increase his thrusts, panting even harder as the sylveon slammed his plump ass back onto his rod over and over again, trying his hardest to get it as deep as he possibly could. He felt Tox start to gyrate his ass as he went through his thrusting motions, the extra angles adding all sorts of pleasure to Wolfe.

Toxy moaned in pure bliss as he felt Wolfe's claws dig into his sides, bringing his ass back to meet him as fast as possible. Then Toxy grinned, and sent two of his ribbons on either side of the umbreon down toward the dominant male's own thrusting tailhole. Then he giggled, and plunged both ribbons in at the same time, hear Wolfe yelp in surprise, as well as feeling a spurt of pre enter his body. He giggled again, and started thrusting his ribbons in and out of Wolfe in time with the umbreon's thrusts.

Then he added his other two to Wolfe's ass, hearing the male moan above him as he did so. Toxy began to pant harder, feeling all the pleasure he was feeling building up inside of him. Then he let out a grunt, and moaned loudly as he came onto the mattress below him, panting happily. He moaned even louder when the male fucking him suddenly forced his knot into his ass, and sent another spurt onto the mattress when he felt Wolfe's seed enter his rectum.

They both rested there, panting, till Wolfe's know had gone down enough so that he could pull it out. Then Tox giggled. "My turn~" he exclaimed, and then stood up, knocking the umbreon to the ground. Then he removed his ribbons from the umbreon's tailhole, and used them to hold his limbs down, with the umbreon lying on his back. Wolfe raised an eyebrow at him, and then sighed.

"Kinky son of a-," he muttered, before he broke off with a yelp as Tox thrust into him as deep as he could.

"Oh, damn Zero! You don't know how long it's been since I got to fuck a good male," Tox cheered. Wolfe just grunted in time with the sylveon's thrusts, biting his lip to keep quiet. Tox giggled, and then sped up his pace, knowing he probably wouldn't last too long.

He felt Wolfe's ass clench around his rod, and let out a gleeful moan, loving the umbreon's tight fuckhole. Tox then giggled, and leaned his head down to envelope the other male in his mouth, sucking him off as he fucked him.

He felt his knot start to inflate, and then grinned. Then he thrust himself into the male's ass as deep as he could, before grinding his knot inside of him. He bobbed his head on Wolfe's member as well, having felt the male's not slamming against his lips. Then he forced his mouth down as far as he could, his lips forming a seal as he allowed the male to knot his face, even as he came inside of him.

He heard Wolfe groan, and then felt his seed start to pump down his throat, as he swallowed every drop. Then he waited for both of their knots to go down, and pulled away.

 **LEMON END**

 **VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

 **[POV: Tox]**

"Well, that was fun! It's a shame that you won't remember this, as you've been under my Attract this whole time, but I'll definitely come talk to you without using that move at a later date. Well, it's been fun!" Tox said, as he walked out of the room, leaving the entranced umbreon to his own devices.

As he left the building, he had to smile to himself.

 _Who knows, maybe he really will be the one._

* * *

 **WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF!**

 **But, I did it! 1,000 more words than originally intended, but, eh. Don't think anyone will complain. So, I've been up since noon yesterday. It's 8:00 am now. Why :(**

 **I am actually very proud of this chapter. It is easily my number one to write so far :p. Now, that's not to say that it's perfect, but, I feel like I accomplished a lot as far as story telling goes. So, tell me what you all think!**

 **For the record, I might rewrite the second lemon later, because I am sooooooo tired right now. Oh well. I did it!**

 **As promised, the response to A Fan's review!**

 **I'm glad that you like the story! As well as how I write :p. It means a lot to me.**

 **I'm not entirely sure if you're the same "A Fan" that was the first person to review my story, but if so, I'm going to say thanks. I wasn't really going to update after that first chapter, well, at least not immediately. I just really wasn't sure if it was worth my time. But, you reviewed! That's what really got this story going. Keep that in mind, folks. If you ever see a new story and you feel like it has potential, all that it takes to keep the author going is five minutes out of your day.**

 **All of that said, I'll have that third chapter up some point soonish! Original intention was Friday, buuuuut… it's Friday now. I haven't had nearly as much time to write as I originally thought, hence me staying up all night, but I wanted to at least make good on two of my promises :(. I am sorry that it probably won't be out till Monday, but I hope you all understand. Have real life stuff to worry about :(.**

 **Don't worry though, all my supporters! I'm not going anywhere :p. I'm still trucking along, and trying to provide you all with good content.**

 **Still have room for 1 OC, just an fyi. First come, first serve. Unless I reaaaallllly like the OC. Then'll probably hear it anyway. Also, keep in mind, I will still need OC's for book 2!**

 **That all said, I hope you all enjoyed! Let me know what your favorite part was, as well as anything that I can improve on. I look forward to hearing from you all! And, I'll see you all next chapter!**

 **Though, I suppose that you can all see me whenever you look at my profile picture :(. And I won't see any of you, really :( Yeah, I made myself sad now.**

 **Ugh, tired Aurumn is rambling. I'll see you all next chapter! And again, thanks for all of the support!**

 **-Aurumn**

 **P.S. Longest chapter ever! WOOT! Can I get a 'WOOT!' in return? No? Tough. I kid, I kid. Damnit Aurumn, go to sleep!**


	20. Chapter 19: Calm Before

**A/N: Hey all, Aurumn here. Soooo, last chapter was pretty awesome, wasn't it? I hope you all enjoyed, as it was without equal in my opinion. No joke, definitely my top chapter. Also, casually broke 4,000 views on the 3rd. No big deal, right? Actually, I'm just going to get it out of my system.**

 **HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!**

 **Alright, we good now. So, I updated the favorite character Poll, making it so you can select 3 favs. Because, in all seriousness, who can just pick one? My current favs: Well, they vary :(. So, I can't tell you ;). Also, it would be more than 3. I like all of you guys'/gals' OC submissions :p. Like, a lot.**

 **My apologies to EatMyKitty and BobbieDOO, this chapter didn't make it out by the time you fell asleep :(. Don't hate me! Ples!**

 **Another little anecdote about my time at boot, mainly due to something that was said in last chapter about holding up under pressure. This was back at the beginning of boot, so we weren't all best buds yet. Actually, it was around three weeks in I suppose. Before we actually did any shooting with real weapons, they had us do a simulator, I think it was called like, EST 2000 or some shit. Anyway, they had "rifles" that were modified to shoot a little laser, so, when we "shot" at a screen, it actually registered where the "bullets" were going, as a little air pump in the rifle simulated recoil. They wanted us to practice zeroing our weapons before we moved to live weapons and rounds. I was part of the fourth (go figure) group to "shoot". So, they had us get on the line, and go prone. Then we grabbed the rifles, and rested them on sandbags to steady our shots. The instructor told us to fire ten shots at the targets chest, and to try and be as consistent as possible with our grouping. So, we all fired, with me being the first one done, 'cause I obviously have to show everyone up. (That was a joke. It was just what people thought I was doing.) The guy next to me had just fired his fifth round when I fired my tenth. He saw me put down my rifle, and then rolled his eyes, thinking I just spam shot.**

 **Anyway, everyone gets all of their shot off, and the simulator puts a 6 inch circle over our first shot. The instructor goes in front of the screen to study the targets, and to see how many of our shots landed in the circle. Then he starts groaning, and turns to us to try and motivate us, saying that 'This is super easy guys! Just don't overthink it!' Then he goes down the line reading off the numbers. 'You got 4! You got 6! You got 6 as well!' Then he comes up to mine. 'And this guy got all 10!' Then he just looks at me, and points the classic knife hand at me. 'Y'all need to come to this guy for some tips! He knows how to shoot!'**

 **That made me reaaalllly popular with my platoon. (Sarcasm there. No one likes someone who's better at something than them.) Any case, the guy who was next to me, who we'll call Private Better Than You, or Douche for short, got 8 in the circle. He was expecting to be the top gun in the platoon, and he wasn't a bad shot at all. I mean, he shot expert for qual, which is at least 36 out of 40. Anyway, he gives me the stink eye. Then, after we get off the line, a few people come up to me to ask for advice, Private Douche being one of them. Then some different Private walks up to me, and says, 'So, we're going to be top guns, right?' as he had landed 9 shots in the circle. I smile and nod, agreeing, when Private Douche speaks up.**

' **You're not going to shoot that well during qual. The pressure will get to you. No one shoots that good under pressure.'**

… **. Yeah. He told me I'd choke. Me. Just because he didn't like the fact that I knew something better than him. Guess who ended up being top gun? I'll let you figure that out. I'll also give you a hint: He was the only trainee to shoot a 40/40 in the entire company.**

 **Just some advice for all of you: Don't always try to be the "big dog" or alpha. That just causes problems with team cohesion. Everyone, even the best of leaders, needs to know how to be a follower as well. We can't have a world full of leaders. Alright, anecdote over.**

 **All of that said…. On with the chapter! I hope you enjoy! I'll see you at the end of it!  
**

* * *

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

 _ **{Tell me, my Champion. Do you dream?}**_

 _ **[Every time I close my eyes.]**_

 _Why the hell does my ass hurt so much?_

That was the first thought that went through Wolfe's head when he woke the next day. He groaned as he shifted himself into a sitting position, then checked underneath him to see if he had been sleeping on anything unusual. He frowned, as he didn't immediately spot anything. Then his frown deepened as he realized that he didn't remember going to his room the night before.

"What the…" he mumbled to himself. Then he sighed and shook his head. "Last thing I remember is me and Gale having that argument, then I went to the bar…" his voice trailed off again.

He raised his head towards the door at the sound of someone scratching at it, then blinked. "Uh, yes?" he called.

"Wolfe, open the door!" he heard a familiar vulpix shout, sounding mad. _Well shit,_ he thought.

"Yeah, yeah, one second hon," he replied. Then he hopped off the bed, winced, and made his way over to the door. Then he hesitated. _Now, do I really want to open this door and get yelled at? Odds are, no. I suppose I could pretend to be asleep… no, that won't work. I already responded to her earlier._ He groaned internally, then opened the door.

And was immediately tackled by an angry ball of white fur. "Mercy!" he yelled.

"What the hell Wolfe!" she growled after they came to a halt, with Gale standing on top of him, glaring at him. Wolfe blinked at her again, with a slight frown. Then he grinned at her brightly.

"You know, you're awfully sexy from this perspective. We should do this more often," he told her with a wink. She blinked at him, then shook her head to clear it.

"No! Wolfe, what was that about?" she yelled.

Now it was Wolfe's turn to blink in confusion. "What was what about?" he asked.

"What do you mean what was what about?! That girl that you brought in here earlier!"

Now Wolfe was seriously confused. "What are you talking about?"

She stared at him in amazement. "She was literally in here like, two hours ago! I was locked outside this whole time! Do you have _any_ idea how annoying it is to have 15 guys hit on you?"

Wolfe shook his head again, now completely stumped. "Er, what time is it?" he asked.

She huffed in annoyance, then swatted him with a paw. "I can't tell if you're being serious or not," she told him.

He frowned, and then stroked the back of her head gently with his paw. "The last thing that I remember was sitting at a table in the tavern area, and the next thing I'm in this room on our bed," he told her truthfully.

She growled, and then shook his paw off of her, much to his displeasure. "How the hell does that happen? Were you drinking?"

He frowned, and then shook his head. "No, didn't even have a drop. I don't drink while on duty, which I am."

She glared, then smacked him again. "Yet you'll pick up random chicks in a tavern?!" she shouted.

Wolfe blinked. Then he frowned. "Uh, run that by me again?" he asked carefully.

She growled, and then jumped off of him and padded over to a wall, where she sat down and looked at her paws sadly. "I was going to apologize to you earlier, but then I see you with some sylveon named Toxy. Then you tell me to leave," she mumbled, pawing at the ground gently.

He blinked again. Then he sighed, got to his paws, and padded over to her, before sitting down. Then he wrapped his tail around her, pulling her into him gently. He was happy that she didn't really fight it, as he was already feeling bad about the events that supposedly occurred early in the day.

"I'm sorry, Gale. I honestly don't remember any of that. I'm sorry if I hurt you, I genuinely didn't intend to. For the record, I wouldn't do that to someone if I was in my right state of mind. I would at least wait 24 hours, and never after an argument," he told her.

She huffed in annoyance, and then turned to glare at him some more. "So that's all it takes for you to forget about someone? 24 hours?"

He winced, and then frowned. "I wouldn't say forget, and it depends on the person. If I really like the person," he winked at her, "then I'd stay with them for a while. And, you could say that I really like you."

She huffed again, but then softened her gaze as she stared at him. "Fine, I suppose that I can forgive that you weren't yourself," she said softly. He smiled at her, and leaned down to kiss her cheek, until she put a paw on his muzzle, stopping him. He frowned at her questioningly.

"I'm still mad at you, so no kisses," she said, glaring at him.

He pouted at her. "What if I beg?"

"Nope."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, please?" he whined.

She glared at him. "You don't like being told no, do you?" she asked.

He shook his head, still pouting. "No, 'cause it means that my options are limited. I don't like limited options," he replied. Then he rubbed his cheek against hers. "So, did you change your mind yet?" he purred seductively.

Her gaze faltered for a moment, before she shook herself and glared again. "Fine, but this is the last time, alright?" she said.

"What about your promise last night then?" he asked cheekily. Immediately her cheeks flushed a deep crimson as she looked away.

"I… I forgot about that," she mumbled.

"Does that mean that you lied?"

She blushed even deeper, then hesitated. "I… I suppose not."

He chuckled, then kissed her cheek as he originally intended. "I'll take that as you saying that you don't, in fact, regret our little romp last night?" he purred.

She blushed again, and then shook herself. "No, I don't regret that one bit. I… I just was a little upset about my armor coming off…" her voice trailed off, and she looked away.

Wolfe sighed, and started to rub her with his tail gently. "Gale, I understand completely if it's something you don't want to talk about. But, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be there to listen, alright? I know that something's happened to you. I have my suspicions as well, but, if you don't want to talk about it, then I won't pressure you to. But, I am just telling you now, if I find out that my suspicions are accurate, I'm not just going to do nothing," he told her firmly.

She stared at him, and for once, he couldn't read her. _Interesting,_ he thought, as she looked away. He decided to change the subject.

"What's Bill been doing this whole time?" he asked.

She shook herself again. Then she stared at their connecting wall quizzically. "You know, I'm not sure. Haven't seen or heard from him all day, so I'd imagine he's still in his room," she replied.

Wolfe frowned at the wall as well. "Interesting," he said softly.

Then he shook himself. "Well, regardless, I think that we should at least check on him. Just to make sure he's still breathing, ya know," he said with a chuckle. Then he unwrapped his tail from around her, and padded towards the door, feeling slightly more cheerful this time around.

Once he was outside of Bill's door, he stiffened as a certain smell reached his nose. He started to growl subconsciously. "Gale, can you do me a favor and wait in our room?" he asked carefully.

She frowned. "Why?"

"Just do it, please. I have a bad feeling about what's inside of his room," he told her.

She blinked at him, then nodded mutely, before padding back inside of their room and gently closing the door behind her. Wolfe nodded once decisively, and then used psychic to turn the handle on Bill's door. It didn't budge. _Locked,_ he thought darkly.

He then used his psychic to pick the lock, and gently pushed it open, expecting the worst once it was open.

And the worst was what he got.

The only thing that remained of the perverted pikachu was some bones, scattered about the room with blood everywhere. Wolfe grimaced, and then ducked as something flew over his head, and impacted the wall behind him with a slight thump. Glancing back, he noticed that it appeared to be the skull of a familiar pokemon.

Wolfe rolled out of the way to avoid another thrown bone and concentrated, before turning into his human form with a dark flash. Then he drew his daggers and faced his aggressor.

He wasn't exactly surprised when he saw that it was none other than Crux, who was staring at him with a large grin.

"Why, hello Lunch! Crux has to admit, he was slightly surprised when he saw you come back to life yesterday. Made Crux feel rather inadequate. How can Crux please his God if Lunch doesn't die? Crux also found the events you and your sister partook of last night to be very interesting as well. It made little Snack very happy, and Crux enjoys eating happy meals," the scyther said.

Wolfe groaned, and then shook his head. Then Crux continued, saying, "Oh, and now Crux knows why demon was so protective of weak vulpix. Siblings! Crux actually hates siblings, used to have a few himself, that he did. But, Crux got hungry one night, and with so many foods around, how could Crux resist? Crux never considered doing that with them though." He put one of his blades against his chin thoughtfully

"Now that he thinks about it, Crux feels like there might be something immoral about mating a sibling," he said decisively.

Wolfe blinked at him, stunned. "Alright, you have me stumped here. You're saying that doing what we did last night is immoral, yet you ate your entire family?"

Crux blinked at him. "So? Crux made sure to kill them first, so he didn't eat them alive. Family is important to Crux, and deserves special allowances," he replied.

Wolfe sweat dropped at him. "But you just said that you hated your siblings?" he questioned confusedly.

"So? Crux can hate things, doesn't make them any less important."

 _What. The. Fuck._

Wolfe shook his head again. "Alright, well, moral lessons aside, I think it's time that we finished what we started yesterday."

Crux frowned at him. "While Crux would normally be all for a fight, it isn't exactly fair when his opponent is un-killable. Crux has been around for many years himself, yet he can still be killed, most likely. Hasn't happened yet, so Crux really doesn't know. But, without weak vulpix here, Crux knows he doesn't stand a chance. So, Crux will leave now."

Wolfe growled in the back of his throat, and got into his offensive stance, with his left blade held in a reverse grip, and the other held forward. "I don't think that you have a choice. I don't take to kindly to someone insulting a comrade," he said darkly.

Crux kept frowning at him. Then he sighed, and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, if fight he must, fight Crux will," he said cheerfully. Then he charged at Wolfe with a blade held out in front of him to impale the warrior.

Wolfe grinned, and then lunged forward, dodging the scyther's blade as he tackled it to the ground. He immediately started thrusting his right dagger into the bug's torso rapidly, causing as much damage to it as he could, feeling an immense wave of satisfaction as it started to howl in agony. Then he leaped off of it after sensing an attack from one of its blades.

He smiled triumphantly as it placed the flat of its blade against its wounds, trying to grab it much like a human would. Crux stared at his chest in horror, before raising his head to look at Wolfe. Then he began to glare at him fiercely, as he struggled to his feet. Then his wings took him into the air, wobbling slightly.

"You'll pay for that," he growled.

Wolfe smirked, then gave him the single finger salute. "Try and make me," he taunted.

Crux howled, and then charged him again, any strategy thrown out the window in his anger. Wolfe simply smiled at this. He loved when fights turned in his favor like such. He enjoyed dominating, after all. So, he casually sidestepped out of the way of the enraged scyther's clumsy charge, slicing left dagger at it as it flew past.

He nodded in satisfaction as Crux howled in agony again, followed by him collapsing on the ground as his wings were cut off. Wolfe turned his head to stare at the scyther with contempt.

"Don't insult those under my protection," he ordered emotionlessly.

With that, Wolfe walked towards the squirming pokemon slowly and cautiously. Then he froze, and nodded once. Then he ducked as he sensed Crux's blade swipe at his neck from behind him. Mid motion, he twisted his body around, and put all of his momentum into his fist as he punched the scyther, sending the now wingless pokemon flying into a wall, where he collapsed, with his back to the wall.

Wolfe smirked. "I learned from last time, Crux. Seemed to be an advanced form of Double Team, almost creating an exact clone. But, your little shadow there wasn't breathing. Something to keep in mind," he informed politely. Crux raised his bloodshot eyes to stare at Wolfe.

Then he chittered angrily, before pushing off of the wall behind him with a surprising amount of force, launching himself towards Wolfe through the air, almost as if he still had wings. Wolfe's eyes widened, as he leaped to the side to avoid the green missile, throwing is right dagger at it in the process.

He saw it impact, though Crux didn't even seem to flinch as he began leaping through the door and down the hall. Wolfe stared after him as he laid on his back, shocked. _How the hell…_

He laid there for a while, and then shook himself and got to his feet, before walking towards the door cautiously, and staring down the hall. He didn't see any signs of the scyther, and shrugged. Then he made his way back towards his and Gale's room.

Once inside, he was greeted to the sight of a vulpix pacing around the room, mumbling to herself anxiously. As soon as she spotted him, she bolted towards him before coming to a halt right in front of him.

"What happened? Is Bill alive? I heard screaming even through these walls, who was it? Why are you in your human form?" she asked him rapidly.

Wolfe cleared his throat, and then nodded. Then he closed his eyes and turned into his umbreon form, and then shook his head to clear.

"Crux made a visit, no, Crux, and I was fighting Crux," he answered matter of factly.

She blinked at him, then shook herself. "Alright, Bill's dead. Good on that. Crux visited him, do we know when?"

He shook his head. "No, I don't know when, but I'd guess sometime last night."

She blinked. "Why was he screaming? Did you kill him?"

He shook his head again. "No, just took off his wings and stabbed him a few times. He should bounce back, unfortunately."

Gale glared at him, looking annoyed. "Why did you let him get away? If his wings were off, then he can't be very mobile now can he?"

Wolfe grinned at her. "Have I ever told you how arousing it is to see you upset? You just look so _very_ cute!"

She glared at him. Then she smacked him. "Bad umbreon. Stop dodging the damn question!"

He chuckled at her, and then started to twine his body around hers, causing her to feel very conflicted. Then he began to speak again, saying, "Any chance on a follow up on last night?" he purred seductively.

She looked at him, seemingly overwhelmed. "Stop! Answer my question please?!" she wailed.

He laughed, and then sat back down in his previous position, smiling at her brightly.

"For a flying insect, he sure has some strong legs on him. He started hopping around the entire place, and ended up leaving the building," he finally answered.

She glared at him. "Why didn't you try and stop him?"

Wolfe shook his head in amusement. "I did. Point in fact I only have one dagger for the moment. The other is buried in our green flightless friend in a place that will both pain him, and be difficult to remove without him losing an arm. And, no matter where my daggers are located, I will always be able to find them provided that I am holding the other. A bit of a personal touch, if you will," he said with a wink.

She glared at him, then huffed again. "Stop that," she ordered. He frowned at her.

"Stop what? Being so attractive? Because I'm sorry hon, not going to happen," he told her with another wink.

She glared at him, then groaned loudly. "Ugh, you're so impossible!" she exclaimed.

He chuckled at her. "I know. That just means that you need to love me some tonight," he said suggestively. Then he laughed as she blushed, and laughed even harder when she smacked him with a paw.

"Stop it! Geeze, for someone who recently lost a friend, you're awfully cheerful," she complained.

He frowned at her. "I lost a friend?" he asked.

She frowned back at him. "Bill."

Wolfe's expression cleared. "Oh, that guy! Almost forgot about him. No, we weren't friends. He was just a perverted pikachu that wanted to mount my sexy sister," he said, winking at her.

She snorted. "Alright, when you say it like that, it sounds way too creepy," she told him, giggling. He frowned.

"I suppose it does, doesn't it? Oh well, it's not like I actually think that way. Point in fact, I don't even have any living sisters. Or relatives. So, incest isn't exactly going to be a problem," he replied.

She shook her head, still giggling. "Alright, can we get off of this incredibly awkward conversation now?" she asked hopefully.

Wolfe nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I kind of regret not locking that door. Then we probably wouldn't even be having this conversation in the first place."

She frowned at him. "That's all that you regret?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, more or less. Why, was there something else I should regret?"

She huffed in annoyance, and then shook herself. "No, I suppose not. Curious as to how you ended up doing stuff with that Toxy chick," she muttered.

He shrugged again. "I'm curious to meet this Toxy chick in the first place. Though that doesn't really explain why my ass hurt so much when I woke up…" his voice trailed off.

She blinked at him. "I'm sorry, did you say that your ass hurt?" she asked in disbelief.

He nodded, looking thoughtful. "It sort of reminds me of the first time I received, though I'm not entirely sure how that would happen…" his voice trailed off again.

"Ribbons?" Gale asked.

He blinked. Then he shrugged. "Well, I suppose so. Kind of kinky, but I don't mind a little kinky," he said suggestively, winking at her once more. She groaned and face pawed.

"Wolfe, you're impossible. Now, can we go chase after this murderer? I mean, he did kill quite a few people in his time," she stated.

He nodded in agreement, and then closed his eyes and concentrated, turning into his human form again. Then he rolled his shoulders and headed out into the hall with Gale following. As they walked to the tavern entrance, Gale couldn't resist to ask another question.

"Why are you in human form again?" she asked.

"So I can speak to the humans and hopefully get some answers," he answered, as he pulled the hood of his cloak over his head.

"Wolfe? One more thing. How did you get your cloak and daggers back after yesterday? You didn't stop to pick them up."

"All of my items appear on or with me at will as I shift, unless I choose for them not to, such as now with my right dagger. It's an interesting and useful trick, as otherwise I would be walking around nude a lot."

"Oh."

 **[POV: Gale]**

As she followed Wolfe into the tavern section of the building, Gale cast her thoughts back on what she had learned. First, Crux made a visit to Bill. Second, Bill had been killed. And third, Wolfe had wounded Crux to the point where he could be easily tracked. Also, supposedly they could use Wolfe's dagger to find him even faster.

 _Interesting,_ she mused as they walked through the door.

Then she had to come to a halt to avoid running into Wolfe, who had stopped upon entering the eating area. As Gale peeked out from around him, she didn't have to take too long to see why.

The entire place was trashed, with tables and chairs strewn everywhere, as well as shattered mugs, cups and plates. And then there was the fact that there was a fair number of bodies lying around.

Upon closer inspection, she saw that there were close to twenty corpses in the tavern, filling the air with the smell of blood and death. She crinkled her nose in disgust. _I suppose this is the life of a soldier in an army, now isn't it?_

Wolfe briskly turned to his right and walked over to the bar, where he saw the innkeeper curled on the floor, seemingly sobbing.

"Sir," Wolfe called, and Gale was surprised at the change in his demeanor. He didn't sound nearly as fun or flirty when he spoke like that. Gale jumped onto the bar so she could see the innkeeper better, as well as getting a better look at the carnage that was once a peaceful tavern. It made her feel slightly sad to see.

The man didn't immediately answer Wolfe, causing the hooded man to shake his head, before casually leaping over the bar to kneel down next to him and place his gauntleted hand on top of his shoulder and shake him gently.

"Sir, I need you to snap out of it. Tell me what happened here," Wolfe ordered, causing the man below him to flinch, and cower even further into his hands. Wolfe sighed and shook his head.

"Not going to get an answer out of him, at least not now," he murmured, seemingly to himself. Then he rose to his full height, and looked towards Gale. She just frowned at him sadly.

"I'm guessing that Crux might have been responsible for this," she said softly.

Wolfe shook his hooded head. "No, it would take more than a scyther to do this. I'm not sure if you noticed or not, but a fair number of the bodies lying about have burn marks on them. I don't know about you, but I've never heard of a scyther that knows Ember or Flamethrower. No, this was more than Crux. It looks as though there were four pokemon responsible for this, two of them being fire types, at least. Which means, that our job just got slightly more complicated," he told her.

Her eyes widened as she took in his words, and then turned to look back at the tavern's remains. Indeed, she saw that around half of the bodies did have severe burns on them. She also noticed that a couple had sharp shards of ice sticking out of their bodies as well, which made her flinch slightly, as she looked down in shame.

"Gale, stop that. This wasn't you, and you know it. Just because some of your type did something doesn't mean that the whole group is responsible or guilty. Now, let's see if we can't find someone who still has some sense left in them," Wolfe told her sternly.

Gale flinched again, but she nodded. As Wolfe walked around the room to search for any survivors, she turned her attention back towards the man cowering behind the bar, scared senseless. She wondered what could have turned so cheerful of a man such as himself into the emotional wreck that he was now. Then she breathed in, and immediately knew the answer.

He had just seen and heard twenty people killed. Some of them were probably his friends, maybe even family. Who wouldn't that affect? She turned her gaze back to Wolfe, and then answered her own rhetorical question. _He's already seen and experienced that, so I suppose he would be one._ She took a moment to admire his emotional fortitude, and then sighed. _If only I could be like that._

She was brought back from her thoughts as the man behind the bar suddenly, and jerkily, stood up and stared at her, then at Wolfe, who was now making his way back towards them.

"Sir, can you answer my questions?" Wolfe asked softly. The man dumbly nodded.

"Yes," he whispered hoarsely. Then he shook his head and cleared his throat. "Yes," he said more strongly, though still very quietly.

Wolfe nodded in appreciation. "Thank you. Now, what happened here?" he questioned.

The man's eyes glazed over, as he stared off into space. "I don't know for sure," he whispered. "Everything was fine, when you," he gestured to Gale, "left here do to whatever those other pokemon were saying to you." Gale nodded.

The man shook himself again. "Then, from somewhere where the customers were the thickest, I heard a scream. Then I saw… Dave…" he broke off. The he started to cry as he continued. "Then I saw Dave go flying through the air. Or, I saw half of him. He… h-he w-was t-torn in t-two," he gasped out, before he began to sob.

Gale placed a paw comfortingly on his shoulder. He nodded his thanks at her, and then continued. "After that, all I could see was fire and flashes of light and blood. And the screams! Oh Arceus, the screams! And the sounds! The sounds of people and pokemon being torn limb from limb! Do you have any idea how that sounds? Any idea of how a human, screaming in pure agony, sounds?" he demanded of Wolfe.

"Sir, calm yourself. Yes, people were killed here. Yes, some of their deaths were brutal. Most deaths in this time period are, you eventually get numb to it. Now, what I need to know is who did this? Was it an unusual looking scyther, with a chunk taken out of his left leg?" Wolfe asked calmly.

The man shook his head, still trying to process the horror that he had witnessed. "No, no it was not. It was four pokemon, a machamp, a blaziken, a glaceon and a magmar. They only left about an hour ago, when a scyther came leaping out of the doorway leading to the inn. It's only blind luck that I'm still alive…" the man's voice trailed off once more as he collapsed into unconsciousness. She heard Wolfe give off a soft hum of thought.

"Well, we have targets now, with at least a generalized description. I'm curious as to why they waited until you left to start butchering the people and pokemon here. Not that I'm complaining or anything, but it's something that I would like to know," he stated calmly.

Gale jolted, and then snapped her head towards him. "Are you saying that this was planned like this?" she asked.

"I'm saying that it's a possibility, and no more. But, it would make sense. What I need to find out is why. Why would they wait for you to leave? It's obvious that Crux is with this group, and he made it very clear that he was watching us for a long time. Long enough to witness certain events last night, as well as me undying," he answered. Gale blinked at him.

"So, he was maybe wanting to have his revenge on us?" she asked.

Wolfe nodded softly. "That is indeed a possibility. But, he knows that he is no match for me alone. So, this leads me to believe that he had one of two intentions. One, draw one of us out so that we could be killed, or two, draw both of us out and into a position where we would be defeated quickly."

Gale blinked, and then nodded in understanding. "But, that still doesn't explain why they let me go. I mean, as much as I hate to admit it, I wouldn't have stood a chance against four pokemon, especially when two of them are fire types with a type advantage over me. So, I'm guessing that I wasn't their target. So, that leaves you," she answered, pointing a paw at him.

Wolfe nodded again. Then he groaned. "You know, it's times like these when I really wish we had Nova with us. Chances are, she would solve this problem of ours with no trouble at all," he complained, sounding more like how he usually sounded. Gale nodded in agreement. Then she frowned.

"Wait, isn't she marked? Can't you communicate with her through telepathy?" she questioned.

Wolfe shook his head. "No, she isn't marked. She didn't like that it included a bond with a male other than Kage. She's rather loyal, which is equal parts cute, and equal parts infuriating," he replied.

She looked at him in confusion, wishing that she could see his face. "Why is that infuriating?" she asked.

She could feel him glaring at her from underneath his hood, causing her to shift from paw to paw uncomfortably. "I don't like limited options," he said shortly.

Gale snorted in amusement, and shook her head. "You never change, do you?"

He shook his hooded head. "Nope."

She rolled her eyes, and then hopped off the bar and made her way towards the door, flicking her tails for him to follow. "Well, I suppose that's something that I can admire," she said haughtily. She heard him chuckle as he followed her.

Once outside the door, her jaw dropped in disbelief. Outside, covering the streets, were bodies on top of bodies. It almost looked as the whole village was slaughtered, and all she could do was stare in amazement.

"This was more than just five pokemon," she said softly.

Before she could get a reply, she felt a strong hand grab the back of her armor and hoist her into the air as she let out a yelp.

"There's one here!" a male voice shouted next to her ear. Then the man screamed in agony, and Gale found that she was suddenly free, and falling to the ground, which she did with a soft 'oof'. Then she scrambled to her paws and turned around to glare at the man who had been holding her, before she let out a surprised squeak.

The hand that she guessed had been holding her was dangling from his wrist, connected to it by just a few inches of flesh and bone. He was clutching at it with is other hand as he screamed, staring at it in horror. Gale shot a quick glance at Wolfe, and saw that he was standing stoically, though she noticed that he no longer had a dagger on him.

"I wouldn't be so quick to touch her, friend," he told the screaming man icily. The man slowly stopped his screaming, before he collapsed onto the ground in a sitting position, staring now at Wolfe with fear in his eyes.

"There's another! Fire!" the man called. Immediately after he said that, Gale heard the twang of bows firing, as well as the sound of a faint buzzing. Then her eyes widened in horror as she saw multiple arrows fill the evening sky.

"Wolfe!" she called, and then closed her eyes as she waited for the arrows to strike her.

A moment later, she heard something move over her, as well as a grunt followed by the sounds of arrows bouncing off of something, as well as arrows imbedding themselves into the dirt surrounding her. But, she didn't feel any pain.

She risked opening her eyes to stare around her, immediately seeing Wolfe's arms and legs around her. _Great, he saved me. Again,_ she thought. She saw arrows sticking out of the dirt surrounding her and him, causing her to blink in surprise at how close she had come to dying two days in a row. Then she turned her gaze upwards to Wolfe, expecting to see the worst.

Needless to say, she wasn't surprised in the least to see him completely covering her with his body. However, she was surprised to see that he wasn't breathing any harder than normal, nor was he spitting up blood like he had the last time something stabbed him.

"Wolfe?" she asked breathlessly. She heard him chuckle over her.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm not going to die on you this time," he told her, laughing softly.

She glared at him, and smacked him with a paw. "Then get off of me!" she yelled at him.

He shook his still hooded head in amusement. "Fine, I'll save that for later. For now, we have some assholes to deal with," he replied, before getting to his feet.

As he did so, she heard what sounded like collective gasps coming from somewhere around her and him. As he stood up, she heard him whisper something to her.

"Don't aim to kill, aim to knock out. These aren't our enemy," he said.

She nodded once, briskly. Then she looked around her even more to see them surrounded by twenty or so troops, with ten having drawn their swords or other melee weapons for any possible close quarters combat. She also saw the man that had previously held her lying nearby, multiple arrows puncturing his body as he breathed his last breaths.

"Well now, isn't this a surprise? You're still alive. Well, I suppose that means that we have to get our blades wetted today, ain't that right boys?" she heard a voice call out.

As a group, the soldiers tilted their heads back and howled, sending a slight shiver down her spine at the bloodcurdling sound. Needless to say, she was quite shocked when she heard Wolfe chuckle.

"Oh? Might I ask why you all howled?" Wolfe asked.

The same voice responded, saying, "It's our war cry, we use it as tribute to the great Wolfe, who once led me and many of these men's fathers in the first Memory War."

Wolfe chuckled again, even as Gale snorted in amusement. She saw the speaker's eyes flash dangerously.

"I will not have him mocked by Memories such as yourself!" the man called back, anger in his eyes and voice.

Wolfe shook his hooded head, still chuckling. "Nay, it wasn't us mocking him. Rather, it was us amused at something you currently aren't aware of. But, no matter. I don't have much respect for those who dare attempt to harm those under my protection while using that name," he replied, his voice drawing to an icy tone as he spoke.

Then he tilted his head back and laughed, loud and long. He laughed for well over what would normally be customary, before cutting himself off abruptly as he snapped his head to look at the speaker, growling softly.

"Well?" he asked darkly.

The man snorted in his own amusement, before rolling his shoulders, shield hanging from his left hand. "Alright boys, let's teach this scum to respect so great a man," he said, before raising his shield to cover his body as he approached, with ten of his men following suit.

Wolfe chuckled again, rolling his own shoulders. As he did so, Gale saw an arrow clatter to the ground behind him, with its tip slightly red with blood. She snapped her gaze up to his back, and saw a hole in his cloak where the arrow had been. _You missed one,_ she thought, worried.

"He wasn't as great a man as you might think, but no matter. Well, let's dance, shall we?" he asked, shooting a glance at Gale, who nodded in agreement, wriggling herself to loosen up all of her joints and muscles. As she did this, she heard Wolfe groan. She stared at him, worried, as he slowly turned back towards the approaching men.

"Gale, that was way too damn cute," he muttered. She snorted in amusement, before looking towards the men.

"Care to reveal your face, Memory? I want to memorize every one of your kind that I kill," a different guard said, smirk on his face, as the other men grunted in agreement. Wolfe chuckled once more.

"Well, if you insist," he said cheerfully, before reaching up to his throat and unclasping his cloak and casting it behind him.

She immediately saw the first speaker halt as his eyes widened in surprise. The rest of the men bellowed in unison, and charged at him, even as their commander called after them, "Wait! Stop!"

Unfortunately, he was slightly too late as only a few of his men heard him, leaving her and Wolfe to fight off only six men, with the rest calling for them to stop. Then the men were upon them.

Gale saw immediately that these men weren't anywhere close to veterans, as they weren't approaching in any real sort of uniformed fashion, as well as the way they held their weapons, gripping them so tightly that she saw their knuckles were a pale white.

"Sit back, Gale, I've got it this time," Wolfe said to her. Gale hesitated for a moment, before nodding in agreement.

She was then awestruck as Wolfe moved faster than she had ever seen him move before, so fast that she had trouble following his movements. She saw him first slam his shoulder into one of the men's shields, sending the man flat on his ass a few feet away, now holding a dented shield, with his sword nowhere to be found.

She then saw him lash out with a foot, connecting with one of the men's hands as she heard his fingers snap. Needless to say, he dropped his weapon, and was thus unprepared for Wolfe's round house kick to his stomach, also sending him onto his ass.

She proceeded to watch as Wolfe quickly and efficiently disarmed and incapacitated all of their aggressors, one after another. Ten seconds after the skirmish started, the last guard was knocked unconscious after Wolfe delivered a blow to his temple. As he knelt to check for a pulse, Gale saw one of the archers aiming at Wolfe with his drawn bow, about to send his arrow into the unsuspecting warrior.

Not really thinking about it, solely going off of her instincts, she fired a low powered ice beam at him, watching as it hit the bows cord, causing it to snap and lash at the archer, who just stared in shock at his bows remains. She saw Wolfe nod his head at her in gratitude, before he turned to the first speaker.

"Matt, it's been a while," he greeted. The older soldier simply stared at him, before ripping his helmet off of his head and lowering himself onto one knee as he bowed his head, offering the greatest sign of respect a guard of Norovia could offer to another as he saluted Wolfe.

"Wolfe! Dear Arceus, I am so sorry for this mistake!" the man, Matt, apologized. Wolfe dipped his head in acceptance as the other men, who were still standing, copied their leader as they fell onto one knee with their helmets extended and their heads bowed.

"Rise, all of you," Wolfe ordered.

"Yes, sir!" they shouted in unison, even their leader, who was still staring at him with awe as they rose to his feet.

The man then quickly walked over to Wolfe, almost in tears it appeared as he gazed at Wolfe.

"Wolfe! Wolfe, you demon you, what are you doing? And how the hell are you alive?" he asked hurriedly.

Wolfe smiled, and then closed the remaining distance between them as he punched the man in his stomach, knocking the wind out of him, and causing him to double over in Wolfe's grasp.

"You're lucky you still are, you dumbass. What was one of the first things that I taught you? Always identify your enemy first to confirm that they are an enemy," he said brightly. "As for how I'm alive, well, you said it yourself, old friend. I'm a demon, aren't I?"

Matt coughed, and gasped for breath, before he dumbly nodded.

"My…. apologies…. sir," he gasped out. Wolfe chuckled in amusement, before patting his back heartily, being perhaps a bit too hard in Gale's opinion.

"It's all good, though I will be having some words with you about the training of your men, as well as the equipment they're given. You know how I feel about gauntlets," Wolfe told him, helping the man to stand upright.

Matt nodded, and then gasped hugely. "I am so sorry, my Lord! They aren't normally under my command, point in fact they're all transfers. I'm currently in the process of trying to correct their errors and lapses in training, but it's a slow process. These were the ones at the bottom of the list in skill, which is why we were sent here. I would greatly appreciate it if you could show or teach them a few things. What I wouldn't give for them to learn from the master himself, the symbol of our entire unit, the Grey Wolves!" he exclaimed.

Wolfe nodded once to himself, and then turned to study his surroundings. "Maybe if I have time, Matt. I'm currently on a contract, or rather a mission for a contract. Someone bought me for three years, if you can believe that," he replied.

Matt's eyes widened even further. "Three years? Who the hell had enough money for that?"

"A group called the Dark Army. Maybe you've heard of them, but odds are you haven't," Wolfe told him.

Matt's eyes furrowed in confusion at the name, before he shrugged. Then he stared pointedly at Gale. "And who is that? A member of this Dark Army?" he asked, nodding at her.

Wolfe nodded his head yes, before looking at her with a small smile. "Yeah, she's my partner for the month," he said.

"Ah, I see. She a good friend of Zero's, is she?" he asked with a laugh. Wolfe chuckled, and shrugged.

"I suppose that's one way of putting it, though I suppose it's a bit more complicated than that. You see, he actually got a mate a few months back," he informed him with a straight face.

Matt guffawed, and started laughing hysterically. "That old bachelor finally found himself a girl?! Damn, but I never saw that coming. He's about as free with pokemon as you are with the ladies!" he laughed.

Wolfe chuckled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Gale rolled her eyes in amusement, before shaking her head.

"Wolfe, don't mean to hurry you or anything, but it's starting to get dark. We should be finding a new place to stay for the remaining duration of our mission, if you'd be so kind," she informed him.

Matt looked back down at her. "Well, that's an easy solution! You can stay with us for however long you need! The local garrison has plenty of beds to spare," he told her. She stared at him, shocked.

"You can understand me?" she asked. Matt nodded with a grin.

"Yes, yes I can! It's a requirement for our unit, which is considered to be the best of the elite, anywhere across the land. Well, when they aren't as new as these recruits," he said, gesturing to the incapacitated men behind him. He turned to look at Wolfe with a glimmer in his eyes. "I dare say that our best soldiers would probably give you a run for your money, my friend."

Wolfe snorted in amusement. "I certainly hope so. One should always strive to be better than those that they idle," he replied. Then his face turned serious. "Matt, why are you here? You're geared for war. What's been going on?" he asked.

Matt's gaze also turned serious. "You've been out of contact for a while, haven't you?"

Wolfe nodded. "Yes, yes I have."

Matt sighed, as his fallen men started to gather himself up along with their gear. "It's bad, my friend. Real bad. Obviously, you know about the plague, but that's the least of our concerns now. An old acquaintance of ours has made a reappearance in a big way, around a year ago now I'd imagine. It started with our friend simply flexing her muscles, trying to shake off the plague. Then she struck in a big way."

"Memoria has invaded again, my friend. And it looks as though all of her has come to play."

 **[POV: Tox]**

Toxy smiled happily as he padded through the field surrounding the village. _I wonder when I'll see him again,_ he wondered? He had to admit, he was very excited for the next time they were to meet. He hoped it would be memorable, to say the least.

As he walked, he saw a group of pokemon walk along a path in a hurried fashion. He frowned thoughtfully as he stared. _That's strange. Why isn't that scyther flying like normal? And why is he being carried by a machamp? Wait, is that a magmar and a glaceon? And a blaziken?! What a strange group,_ he mused as they passed him. But, he didn't call out to them or make his presence known at all.

He frowned as he followed their route, and then frowned some more. _Are those flags? And tents? Wait, are those men armed? Weird,_ he thought. Then he shrugged good naturedly, and made his way back towards the village he had come from.

 _Well, I hope that I see you again soon, Zero._

* * *

 **WOOT! I did it! Again! Sorry for the slightly smaller chapter, was trying to get this out before a certain event happened. Buuuuut, next chapter will make up for it ;).**

 **It's chapter 20 next chapter, so I figure I'll do something special. How does 20,000 words sound? It'll be out in like a week, if y'all want to see that happen. Just send me a PM or review with the words: Chapter 20! If y'all don't well, say: Chapter 20?**

 **Regardless, a lot will be accomplished in it. As well as a certain event involving two egg shaped objects, that might possibly be eggs. Might.**

 **Something to talk about, which might bother a few of you who read Crux's fight scene earlier, is that he seemed so easy to defeat this time. I actually did this on purpose. Not sure how many of you have ever been in a fight, much less when your opponent is armed with, say, a knife, but it's really, reaaalllyyy important that you don't make a mistake. One mistake is almost always the deciding factor in a fight, a lesson I've had to learn the hard way. Crux made a mistake, and let's see if you can spot it ;).**

 **Totally unrelated side note, but it hurts like a motherfucker to get stabbed. Just so you're aware :p.**

 **Couple things to mention as well. One, if you want to see more of my characters, check out the following two stories. I Am Sin, by WolvenRepublic, and The White Death, by Super12123. At this point in time, Super's story doesn't have them in it, buuuuut, they might be included shortly ;). Might.**

 **If you want to see more of Toxy, check out TOXICMACHAMP's story. It's rather short, but we're all pretty proud of him for taking the big step in writing his own story :p.**

 **Also, hopefully this chapter did indeed get out before a certain event happened, otherwise I'm cutting it pretty damn close.**

 **Lots of things to look forward to in the coming chapters! I hope you're excited! And my apologies to a certain individual who enjoys all the flirty in this story, there wasn't much in this chapter :(. Buuuuut, that's clearly going to happen in the next one ;).**

 **As always, I hope that you all enjoyed, and tell me your thoughts! I did say that action would be picking up shortly, didn't I? I'll see you all next chapter, and again, THANK YOU!**

 **-Aurumn**


	21. Chapter 20: Celebration

**Update 3/26/2017: Sorry guys, next chapter probably won't be out till Tuesday, maaaayyyybbbeee Monday. That's a definite maybe. Basically, I've had "Zero" (Oh, I make myself laugh XD) time to work on it, as I've been working for the past 9 days. Two people got fired, so guess who picked up their shifts? This guy. I just got off an overnight, then I work again at 4pm tonight, then I don't work till Friday. So, double chapter week! Woot! (Definite Maybe)**

 **-Aurumn**

 **A/N: Hey y'all, Aurumn here. Again :p. If you are reading this after 3/19/17, this chapter is actually just a reuploaded. So, everything is the same, except for at the very end where a lemon is. That will be all for this update :p.**

 **Some big news, at least in Aurumn's personal life, y'all remember my sister who was pregnant? Yeah, she gave birth on the ninth ;). Sooooo, little Keaira has made an appearance in our world! WOOT! So, I figure…. Why not in this story? But, what else do I include?**

 **Decisions, decisions. What lemon should I include? What OC should I introduce? Should someone die? GASP! Should Gale die? That might be interesting, right?**

 **Naw, she's much too adorable to kill off :p. Plus, she's pretty important in the future, *wink* *wink*. Also, she's a fan submitted OC :p. I don't kill those unless requested. Or, if the story calls for it I suppose.**

 **Also, I have received a concern about lemon amount in this story, sooo, I'm probably going to reduce those in the coming chapters. Unless, like, a lot of people want me to keep them at the current rate.**

 **That said, on with the chapter! Serious thanks to all of you, though I say it literally every chapter, lmao. I do mean it. And while he is many things, Aurumn isn't a liar.**

* * *

 **[POV: Private Wolfe, age 17]**

 _ **{My poor, brave champion.}**_

 _Left, right, left, right, left, right._

That was all that Wolfe thought as he marched in one of two columns along either side of the road as they made their way up a steep hill. He numbly gave a little hop to settle his rucksack on his shoulders better, letting out a huff as he did so.

 _Probably a 20 percent incline,_ he thought, eyeing their next challenge. He let out a slight smirk of satisfaction at how close they were to graduating basic training. Especially with this ruck march. Their longest one. 12 miles. Not only that, but they had to conquer this last tough challenge, known affectionately as the "Stairway to Heaven."

 _More like the "Stairway to Despair,"_ he thought with some amusement. We looked over his right shoulder to stare behind him at his comrades, his friends. They stretched on behind him, with hundreds of soldiers in full kit and carrying rucksacks as well. He nodded once, before turning his attention back up towards their challenge.

"Alright Charlie, let's move!" a drill sergeant shouted. A chorus of groans from Charlie company followed his words. Wolfe kept his silence. After everything that had happened to him, this seemed like easy shit. Then the sound of marching feet picked up their pace, with all of the recruits starting to increase their speed.

 _Left, right, left, right, left, right._

That was how he operated. Just focus on the individual step, not the distance. Made the effort seem negligible, despite how far he walked. It was how he ran his two mile for his PFT, how he marched in step, how he ruck marched. It was how he lived his life.

As he marched, he saw the soldier in front of him start to sway from side to side, before he started to slow down and close the gap between him and Wolfe. Wolfe frowned.

"Hey! Instead of closing that gap behind you, close the one in front of you!" another drill sergeant shouted at the soldier. The man didn't answer, slowing down further and further until he reached Wolfe. Then he collapsed on the ground, too exhausted to take another step.

Wolfe didn't even hesitate to help him as he walked by, grabbing his rifle in his left hand and calmly pulling the man to his feet with his right. Then he gave the man a little shove.

"We're almost done, man. Almost there. Do you really want to go through all of the training that we went through, only to drop out when you're almost done?" he encouraged.

The man looked behind him at Wolfe, and shook his head. "No," he replied shortly, saving his breath. Wolfe grinned.

"Then get your lazy ass up there!" he exclaimed. The man grinned back at him, then nodded, gaining a determined look on his face as he looked up towards the hill. Then he picked up his step, seemingly ignoring his discomfort. Wolfe allowed himself a rare, genuine smile.

 _That's the way you do it,_ he thought. _Ignore the pain, ignore the suffering, ignore the discomfort. Just focus on the challenge in front of you._

He then heard another groan coming from the opposite column, followed by the sound of a body smacking against asphalt. He turned his head to look, seeing another recruit laying in the middle of the road. He frowned, wishing that he could help the man. Unfortunately, he couldn't. Not without breaking formation.

He needn't have worried, as another soldier did the same thing that he had done with the man in front of him, hoisting up the fallen soldier and giving him a shove as well. The man who had helped out caught Wolfe's eye, and nodded with a smile. Wolfe returned in kind, and then turned his attention back to the rapidly approaching summit of the hell that was this hill.

Finally, they reached the top. Wolfe grinned, and let loose a cheer, which the whole company returned as they crested the summit. He felt pride and sheer joy flow through his body as he observed the flat road in front of him.

 _I didn't give up._

 **[POV: Gale, 909 BBF]**

She stared up at the man, Matt, in surprise. "Memoria?!" she asked in disbelief.

Matt turned his attention to her, and nodded with a serious expression. "Yes, Memoria. They've made their reappearance, as many had thought they would, me included. But, no one would listen. Hell, not like it would have mattered at all, what with this plague and everything," he replied.

Gale turned to Wolfe in shock, as well as a bit of horror. While she wasn't alive during the first Memory War, she'd heard many stories about it. Stories of men being torn limb from limb, of smaller pokemon being crushed under the pressure of thousands of soldiers, of people being burned alive, with the skin melting off of them.

Now, she wasn't a coward by any means. But, no fighter ever truly looked forward to battle. One mistake could get you killed, or at the very least seriously injured. She frowned, thinking about it.

"Wolfe, we need to report this to the Dark Army," she told him.

Wolfe nodded, stroking his chin with his left hand. "Yes, I suppose we do, don't we? But, I think that we should wait a bit in any case. Memoria's troops aren't going to be anywhere near them for a while, if them not even reaching here is any indication," he observed.

Gale frowned at him, then let out a small huff of displeasure. "Why do you want to wait?" she asked, irritated. "It's a long walk back, and just putting it off would only delay the inevitable."

He turned to her with a slight smile. "Don't worry, Gale. It won't be nearly as long a walk as you might think. As for why I want to delay us leaving, we still have a crazed scyther to kill," he told her.

"Scyther? Do you mean that one that goes by the name Crux?" Matt cut in.

Wolfe turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, I do indeed. You know him?"

Matt snorted. "More like know of him. Heard that he was holed up somewhere around these parts, though I've never ran into him personally."

Wolfe chuckled. "Well, I've had that pleasure twice now. The first time didn't go so well, but the second time, well, he's now missing his wings, and has my knife lodged in his shoulder," he grinned.

Gale flinched slightly at the mention of their first run in with Crux. She lowered her head sadly, staring at the ground as she pawed at it. Then her gaze caught the man that had first grabbed her, his lifeless eyes staring into the sky with multiple arrows puncturing his body. She frowned, before turning her gaze back towards Matt, glaring at him.

"What exactly was the big idea in sending him," she growled, pointing a paw at the dead man, "after us, only to riddle him with arrows?"

Matt stared at him, and she saw sadness flood his gaze as he sighed. "Mistakes in war times are costly, Gale. He was settled in his fate, wanting to die but not to take his own life. Lost his entire family to the plague, just last year. He's been our scout ever since. He was a good man, a brave man," he said softly, as he gazed at the corpse. Then his eyes widened as he caught sight of his hand. He shot his gaze towards Wolfe, glaring softly.

"Demon, what exactly was the point in almost completely cutting off his hand?" he asked angrily.

Wolfe stared at him impassively. "Who are you speaking to, Matt?" he asked calmly.

Matt's eyes flashed, before he dipped his head. "I meant no disrespect, Wolfe. But I hope you can understand my perspective. He was a good man, a good friend. He didn't deserve to have his hand severed."

Wolfe raised an eyebrow. "A good man, perhaps, but even the best of men can make mistakes. His was touching her," he said, gesturing at Gale, who was now sitting down and cleaning her paws cutely. Wolfe's face twitched. Then he continued, saying, "And a hand isn't a whole lot of use to a dead man, now is it?"

Matt eyed Gale for a moment, not looking angry or sad. Just eyeing her. Then he sighed. "I know, Wolfe. I know. He shouldn't have grabbed her like he did, but what could he have done? We thought you were enemies. After all, their pokemon are really the only ones that wear armor usually."

Wolfe just stared at him. "And what could I have done? Mistake on his part or not, I don't regret my actions. He was a threat, and I eliminated that threat. You should know that from your time serving under me."

Matt nodded slowly. "I suppose you're right. You usually are, aren't you? Now, where exactly is this scyther?"

Wolfe nodded once, and then calmly walked to wear his knife was located, embedded deeply in the side of a building. He pulled it out with a sharp tug, and then twirled it, before snapping it to towards the south. "That way," he answered casually.

Matt stared at him for a moment, then he sighed and rubbed his forehead with his palm. "You have no clue, do you?"

Wolfe looked at him, feigning a hurt expression. "No, I know that he's in that direction for sure," he replied.

Matt groaned. "Fine, he's south. Any idea where in the south?"

Wolfe shrugged with an easy smile. "Nope!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

Matt groaned again, as Gale snorted in amusement. Then she shook herself and padded towards Wolfe, before halting in front on him. "Hey, buster. We should start looking for him." She turned to Matt. "Where exactly is your little fort?" she asked.

Matt looked down at her, hurt. "It's not little! And besides, size doesn't matter," he justified.

Wolfe snorted, and then started to laugh hysterically as Matt and Gale stared at him in confusion. Then Gale's eyes widened as realization dawned on her, followed by her face pawing. Hard.

Finally, Wolfe got his laughter under control, before staring at Matt. "I'm sorry, old friend, but size does matter," he said, still chuckling.

Gale groaned, rubbing her paw up and down her face in mental agony. "No, Wolfe, it does not," she moaned.

Matt turned to her with thankfulness in his eyes. "See! Wolfe, why would it matter how large a fort is?"

Wolfe stared at him with pure mirth in his eyes. "A larger fort means it can house more, making it more effective," he replied, struggling to keep a straight face.

Gale rolled her eyes, still rubbing her forehead. Matt frowned at him. "Well, my fort is small and I'm proud of it," he retorted, sounding offended.

Wolfe lost it. He couldn't resist, it was all just too perfect. Gale started to groan in agony, as Matt stared at him, appearing to be more lost than he had been ever since she first met him. Gale decided that she'd put the poor fool out of his misery.

"He's making a very bad, and very inappropriate joke about the size of your manhood," she told him. Matt blinked. Then his face went beet red, as he caught onto it, before he burst out into laughter as well, causing Gale to roll her eyes.

"Men," she muttered.

After a while, Wolfe and Matt finally got their laughter under control, with Matt clearing his throat to speak. "My 'little fort,' as you call it, is actually located directly to the southwest from here, about four miles away. Just follow the trail, and when it splits, take a left. You'll find her in no time, no time at all," he told them.

Gale sighed again. _Damnit Wolfe, why are you like this,_ she wondered? Although, she did have to admit that it was rather amusing, especially since Matt took so long in figuring out why. She let out a slight giggle, before she began to hiccup. _Oh no._ Then she hiccupped again, her head bobbing along with her body. Then again. And again.

At this point, Wolfe was staring at her, looking slightly upset. "Gale~" he groaned. "Stop being so damn cute!"

She hiccupped again, before she glared at him. Then she shook her head, before hiccupping once more. Wolfe groaned, and shook his head.

"Adorable," he muttered crossly. Then he winced slightly, rubbing at his back. He turned to Matt, as Gale's head kept bobbing up and down. "I have to give you props on your archers, Matt. You took my lessons to heart I see," he observed.

Matt grinned at him. "One of them get ya?" he asked.

Gale's head bobbed again. "Yes, one of them did indeed. I don't recall who it was, and though it wasn't exactly effective against me, mainly due to my armor. But, nonetheless, my compliments," Wolfe replied.

She hiccupped again.

Matt smiled softly. "While it is regrettable that this incident occurred in the first place, I have to say that your words pleased me. Not often that the master compliments the student," he said.

Wolfe nodded as she hiccupped once more. He frowned at her, then sighed. "Well, I suppose that we should go find us our scyther," he told Matt. Matt nodded, then frowned and sighed sadly as he looked down at his dead soldier.

"Be safe, Wolfe. I've already lost one friend today, I would not wish to lose another one," he said softly. Wolfe nodded in understanding, and then glanced at Gale once more.

"Well? Shall we?" he asked.

Gale opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off with another bob of her head. She started to pout, as Wolfe sighed, before walking over to her and picked her, ignoring her sounds of displeasure as he did so. He turned back to Matt.

"Well Matt, I'll see you later," he said, as he began to walk away, holding a fuming and hiccup-ridden Gale.

"Farewell, Wolfe!" Matt called after him, before turning back to his fallen soldiers and helping them onto their feet.

After they had walked a fair distance away, Gale glared at Wolfe, then smacked him with a paw. "You can set me down now," she ordered, before hiccupping again.

Wolfe glared at her, but did as she had told him to and set her down. She gave him a regal nod, before bobbing her head again. He continued to glare at her, before closing his eyes and concentrating, and turned into his umbreon form.

Then he glared at her again, and growled softly, as she stared at him, worried. She let out another hiccup, before releasing a sharp squeal as Wolfe suddenly tackled her, forcing her onto her back as he stood over her, leaving her to stare up at him in worry. _Has he gone mad! Why is he attacking me?_

Before she could voice her concerns, he started to furiously rub his head against her, causing her to let out another squeak.

"Stop being so damn cute~" he moaned, nuzzling her vigorously. "Do you have any idea how _hard_ it is to concentrate when you keep being so damn adorable?!"

 _Oh,_ she thought. She giggled as Wolfe continued to show his displeasure at her adorableness by showering her with affection. She lightly smacked him with a paw again. "I can't help that!" she told him with another giggle.

He stopped his movement to glare down at her. "Why not?" he demanded.

She giggled and attempted to push him off of her with her paw, with no success as she started laughing. He continued to glare at her.

Finally, she got her mirth under control enough to answer him. "I can't control that you enjoy adorable things, and I definitely can't control what you find cute or not," she answered.

He huffed in annoyance, then dropped his weight down on her. "It's not fair," he whined.

Gale snorted. "You'll survive. Now, if you would be so kind as to get off me…" she trailed off, waving a paw suggestively.

He shook his head. "Nope. I refuse. Not till you agree to stop being so damn cute," he said firmly.

She glared at him. Then she smacked him once more. "It's not my fault, so why should I be punished?" she asked.

"Because who else can I punish?" he retorted. She glared at him, not impressed. He huffed again, and then sighed. "Fine~"

She snorted again as he got off of her, muttering to himself about her being adorable. "On the bright side, I don't have the hiccups anymore!" she said cheerfully.

Wolfe just glared at her, before turning his head around sharply and walking away. Gale smiled softly and shook her head, then got to her paws and followed the fuming umbreon.

Walking a short distance, Gale realized something. "Wolfe," she called.

"Hmm?" came the reply.

"How can you follow whatever mystical stuff that your daggers do when you're in your pokemon form? I mean, you aren't carrying your daggers, so how do they work then?" she asked.

He turned to look at her over his shoulder. "Well, mystical bullshit is as good an answer as any in my book," he answered cheerfully.

She frowned. "You mean you don't know?"

He shook his head. "No, I mean I don't want to get into a possibly lengthy conversation when it really isn't necessary at this point," he said with a wink.

She glared back at him. "Fine, don't answer then," she muttered.

He chuckled. "Consider it payback for being so damn cute," he grinned.

She let out another huff, before turning her head to look away from him with a pout. Wolfe chuckled again, before falling silent.

As they walked, Gale looked around taking in as much of her surroundings as possible, yet another habit she had developed from her earlier career. She sighed sadly as she observed them. _Flat lands,_ she thought internally. _Nothing but fields and grass for miles._

She wasn't really sure how she felt about plains. They were just so… open. _Nothing I can do about that, so I suppose I might as well enjoy it._

After they had walked for a while, she noticed Wolfe starting to slow down. Soon, he came to a halt, staring at something on the ground in front of him with a deep frown on his face. Gale hesitated for a moment, before slowly padding up to join him. Then she let out a slight gasp as she saw what was there.

Laying on the ground, covered in a mysterious liquid, was a greenish arm, complete with a wicked looking blade at the end. Lying next to it was Wolfe's dagger. "Shit," she muttered. Wolfe let out a hum of agreement.

Gale sighed. "Now what?" she asked.

Wolfe shook his head, seemingly at a loss. "I'm not sure. I'm not sure at all," he admitted. Gale sighed again.

"Zero!~" a musical voice suddenly shouted at them. Wolfe and Gale immediately snapped their heads upwards, towards where the voice was coming from. Wolfe's face turned to confusion, as Gale rolled her eyes, muttering to herself.

Bounding towards them was a rather attractive sylveon, one that Gale recognized as Toxy. She appeared to be in a good mood, smiling broadly as she approached them.

"Zero!~" she sang, before coming to a halt in front of them. Gale promptly met her face with one of her paws, shaking her head slightly as she did so.

Wolfe continued to look confused. "Er, do I know you?" he asked carefully. The sylveon nodded cheerfully, looking excited.

"Yes, yes you do! We met earlier today actually, in that lovely tavern," she replied with a smile.

Wolfe blinked at her, before slowly turning to look at Gale, who was still shaking her head, groaning softly. "Er… is she the one…?" he asked hesitantly. Gale nodded, before sighing again and turning to face the sylveon.

"Hello again, Toxy," she greeted calmly. Toxy beamed at her.

"Hello!~ I don't believe that I ever caught your name," she returned.

Gale nodded. "No, no we did not. I was too busy being kicked out of our room, so that you two could have some privacy," she said bitterly.

Wolfe flinched as Toxy nodded. "Yeap!~ Oh, and I did enjoy myself by the way! He's rather good in the bedroom," she said, flicking her tail at Wolfe, who stared at them sheepishly.

Gale nodded again. "I am aware," she said shortly.

Toxy frowned at her. "Oh? I was under the impression that you two were just partners?" she questioned.

"Yes, yes we are. He," she said, flicking a tail at Wolfe as well, "happens to get around a lot, if you catch my meaning."

Toxy frowned at Wolfe now, who just coughed once. "Well, I suppose I can't really judge you for that," she said sadly. "I have been known to get around as well…"

The expression on Wolfe's face almost made Gale laugh, if it wasn't for the fact that she was still slightly bitter towards him about what had happened. He looked so confused, as well as slightly ashamed, something that she had never expected to see on him.

"Yeah, I'm a bit free, I suppose. My apologies, but I don't actually recall anything that occurred between us," Wolfe told her.

Toxy blushed deeply, and started to shift her paws uncomfortably. "W-well, you see, the thing is… I may or may not have used Attract on you…" she trailed off, blushing uncontrollably.

Gale and Wolfe stared at her incredulously. She started to shift again, looking very uncomfortable. Then Gale shook her head, and glared at her.

"So, you're saying that you raped him," she stated.

One of Toxy's ribbons started to scratch the back of her head sheepishly. "Well, I wouldn't say that exactly… I mean, he did consent, so I really didn't… rape… him…" her voice trailed off.

Meanwhile, Gale was pissed. "Like that matters at all!" she shouted. "He wasn't in control of his actions, nor was he in any position to refuse! You used your abilities to take advantage of him!"

Toxy looked at the ground, ashamed. "You're right, I know you are. It's just… it had been a while since a male was… inside me. And, I… well, I missed it," she said sadly.

Gale just glared at her, not speaking at all. Wolfe, however, was still looking very slightly uncomfortable.

"Well, no harm no foul. I don't really mind, odds are if the situation was different, I would have done stuff with you anyway. So, don't worry about it!" he exclaimed, in an effort to break the serious uncomfortableness that was this conversation.

Gale turned her glare on him. "You're seriously alright with the fact that she took advantage of you?!" she asked in disbelief.

He shrugged with an easy smile. "I don't really see the harm in it. It's not like anything was stolen from me, and odds are I probably enjoyed it. So, no harm no foul I say," he replied.

Gale snorted, and turned her head away from him. "Well, excuse me for not being alright with someone taking advantage of someone I c… of someone I know," she muttered.

Wolfe chuckled, and then padded up to her, causing her to stiffen slightly. But, she started to relax once he began to rub her with his tail affectionately.

"Awh, it's sweet of you to care hon. And, if it wasn't me and was someone else, I definitely wouldn't be alright with that either. Especially if it was someone I cared about," he told her, still rubbing her.

Toxy blinked. "So, wait. You're alright with it?" she asked hopefully.

Wolfe turned to her with a shrug. "I don't see why not. It's not like you just held me down and fucked me, there was some consent involved," he replied.

Toxy blushed again, before giggling. "Yay!~" she exclaimed happily, hopping from paw to paw, with her ribbons flailing about randomly. Then she ran up to Wolfe and wrapped her ribbons around him, rubbing her head against him furiously, which caused Gale to stiffen once more, though Wolfe didn't seem to mind.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but I believe that we should start looking for our missing scyther," she said, sounding annoyed. Toxy stopped her affections, and stared at her.

"A scyther? Did it have wings?" she asked.

Gale face pawed. "Yes, it had wings," she mumbled.

"Actually, it didn't. Remember, I told you I cut them off? So, he'd be missing his wings as well as an arm," Wolfe cut in.

Toxy started to look excited. "Oh! Oh, oh, oh! I saw a scyther recently, just a little bit ago actually! Although, I don't remember if it was missing an arm or not," she said, rubbing her chin with a ribbon thoughtfully. Then she frowned. "Also, he wasn't alone. He had three other pokemon with him, a magmar, a blaziken, a machamp and a glaceon."

Wolfe and Gale exchanged glances. "That sounds like our guys," Gale said.

Wolfe nodded. "That it does." He turned to Toxy again. "Where exactly was this?" he asked her.

She giggled. "Oh, I don't know if I can tell you. But~, if you want to know, I suppose I could show you. It'll cost you though," she said with a flirtatious wink.

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what exactly is your price?"

She giggled again. "A kiss!~" she exclaimed.

Gale sweatdropped at her as Wolfe laughed. "Oh, is that all?" he grinned.

She nodded once, decisively. "Yup!~"

Wolfe let out a good-natured sigh. "Well, we must all make sacrifices," he told Gale seriously.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Don't have too much fun," she growled. Wolfe frowned at her, then chuckled and rubbed his cheek against hers affectionately.

"No need to be jealous hon, if you ever want a kiss, just ask," he murmured to her seductively.

Gale felt her cheeks start to flush softly, before she shook herself. "Not jealous," she glared. "Now hurry up and get on with it!"

Wolfe chuckled, before turning back to the sylveon, who was looking even more excited if that was possible. "Well, Toxy was it? I suppose that I can agree to that payment request," he said with a wink.

She giggled, and nodded. Wolfe chuckled, and leaned down to her, placing his muzzle gently against hers as he kissed her. Gale heard her let out a soft sound, then saw her deepen their contact. She saw their cheeks move slightly every now and then, showing that there was more going on that just what appeared to be happening on the surface. She sighed, and turned her head away from them.

After a while, she heard soft pants, and looked up to see that the two had broken apart, with Toxy panting softly as she grinned hugely. Gale rolled her eyes, before wriggling her body in anxiousness to be off. She heard a whine come from the pair, and saw that Wolfe was staring at her with a frown, with Toxy frowning at him softly.

"Stop~" he complained to her. Gale giggled, before shaking her head.

"Nope. Now, can we go please?" she asked.

Toxy nodded with a smile. "Sure! Just follow me!~" she sang, before turning around and walking back towards the south with her tail held low. Gale rolled her eyes, and made to follow her.

Before she could get to far, she was stopped by a black paw. She turned her head to look at Wolfe questioningly, before letting out a squeak of shock as his lips were suddenly against hers. _He's kissing me. Again. What…_ she thought. But, she wasn't really going to complain, and decided to return his affection again.

As quickly as it started, the kiss ended as he pulled away, before winking at her and turning to follow Toxy. Gale stared after him, dumbfounded, before shaking herself and following them. One thing she noticed, which she thought was sort of weird, was that Toxy's tail wasn't moving a whole lot. Then she just shrugged.

After they had walked for a while, and Gale was looking around, she suddenly froze mid step. "Wolfe," she called softly.

He turned to look at her with a curious expression on his face. "Yes cutie?" he asked.

She ignored the nickname, and just pointed in front of them with a paw. Wolfe frowned, but followed his gaze, before he let out a slight grunt of surprise. Toxy frowned, and then followed their gazes. Then her eyes lit up.

"Ooh! The tents! I was slightly curious as to why they were there, but I decided that I didn't really care. After all, it didn't appear to be my business. But, that's where those pokemon went! So, I showed you where they are, do I get a reward?~" she asked Wolfe cheerfully.

Wolfe just stared at the Memorian encampment, eyes wide. "Well, shit," he stated. Gale nodded in agreement. Wolfe's eyes narrowed as he stared at it, looking thoughtful. "Gale?" he asked.

"Hmm?"

He continued to look thoughtful. "Can you be a doll and go back to Matt? Take Toxy with you, and tell him what we are staring at right now? I'll catch up with you later, something that I want to check out while I'm here. Alright?"

Gale frowned at him, but decided that she could trust him not to do anything stupid, and if he did, well, he'd be more than likely to come out on top. She nodded. "Sure, I can do that. Just warning you, don't do anything stupid. Otherwise, I'll be rather upset with you, alright?" she told him sternly.

He turned to her and winked. "No worries hon, I'm not going to do something stupid like get myself captured. I still have that promise of yours to collect on," he said suggestively, nuzzling her cheek.

She blushed a deep crimson, before nodding slowly. "Y-yeah, s-sure," she said. Then she shook herself and turned to face Toxy. "Alright, well, I suppose you're coming with me now. So, let's get going."

Toxy nodded, though she looked slightly hesitant to do so, shooting a glance at Wolfe. Gale turned towards the north, and back towards where Matt was. Then she started walking, turning to look behind her at Wolfe one last time in the setting sunlight. Then they went over a hill, and saw him no more.

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

He grinned as he watched them disappear. _Something's different about that Toxy person,_ he thought. Then he chuckled as he remembered Gale's blushing face. _And what a delight she is. Yeah, I'm not going to do anything to compromise that particular deal._

He closed his eyes and concentrated, before turning into his human form. He chuckled again. _Oh yeah. This will be fun._ He donned his hood, and rolled his shoulders. Then he casually walked into the Memorian encampment, not bothering to hide. If he got stopped, he had plenty of ways to go on, with only one of them being a violent method.

Approaching the perimeter, he was almost immediately stopped by a couple guards. "Halt! Who are you, and what are your intentions?" one of them shouted.

Wolfe smiled, though he knew they wouldn't be able to see it. "Who I am is of no importance, and as for my intentions, well, I would speak to your commander," he replied coolly.

The two guards shared a look, before turning back to him. "And why would you want that?" the other guard asked.

"I merely have a few questions for him," came his response.

"Her," the guards corrected. Then they shared another look. _Probably recently acquired troops,_ he thought. _That just makes this all the more easy._ He decided to help them out a bit.

"You need not worry, I have no intentions of harming your commander. I spoke the truth. I simply want to talk. If you'd like, you can escort me, though I would recommend that the both of you don't do so. Someone needs to guard this sector, after all," he told them casually.

The guards nodded to each other, then turned to face him. "Alright, come with me, I'll take you to her. But be warned, if you so much as make any questionable moves, my spear will find a place in your back," the first guard said. Then he gestured with his shield to have Wolfe follow him, which he did, keeping his head bowed.

Walking through their encampment, Wolfe busied himself with counting the Memories. Then he glanced at the swaggering guard in front of him, and smiled thinly. _Time to burst his bubble._

"You realize, young man, that the more correct way to escort someone who might be an enemy would be to walk behind them, right? Who knows what I could do while your back is turned. Perhaps I might decide that it looked fairly inviting to sheath a weapon in. Or, perhaps I will just disappear. You wouldn't know, now would you? Not until it's too late that is," he said casually.

The young soldier stiffened, and turned to look at Wolfe with his hand gripping his spear tighter. He slowed to a stop, as Wolfe continued to walk, until he was in front of the man, who then started to walk again.

"Thanks," the guard said softly. Wolfe nodded his head.

"It is of no moment. You are obviously new, and from what I remember of the Memories, they're not very forgiving when it comes to mistakes, even if that person is just a fresh recruit. You're entitled to make a few mistakes, but a word of warning, friend. If you make too many seemingly simple mistakes, your commanding officers might decide to use you as a form of motivation for other soldiers to clean up their act, if you catch my meaning," he replied.

He heard the guard audibly gulp, and then nothing but his footsteps behind him, aside from the occasional directions. Eventually, they arrived in front of a larger tent, which Wolfe recognized to be the planning station. _How cliché,_ he thought. Standing in front of the tent, Wolfe waited patiently for the guard to announce him, slowly sighing as he realized that that wasn't going to happen.

"Common courtesy, you man, is that the person escorting announces the person escorted," he said casually.

"Oh! Right, my bad," the guard said, before walking past Wolfe, and called out to whoever was in the tent. "Madame Barr, there is a man wanting to talk to you."

There was a slight pause, before a feminine voice called out, "Enter!"

The guard gestured for Wolfe to follow with his shield, before turning around and returning to his post, walking stiffly. Wolfe chuckled in amusement, shaking his head, and entered the tent.

Once inside he was greeted to the sight of five soldiers, all obviously of high rank, surrounding a table which had a map on it. Wolfe noticed that there was only one woman in the group, and that she was on the opposite side of the table from him, and that she was staring at him with cold brown eyes.

Wolfe smirked softly. "My, my, if it isn't the daughter of the famous commander Halle Barr. If memory proves to be correct, I'd imagine that you are either his oldest daughter, Lily, or his youngest daughter, Adelina. Judging from your appearance, I would say that you are the latter of the two," he greeted.

The woman frowned, before nodding slowly. "It seems that you know of who I am, or at least my father, but I have no knowledge of who you are. What is your name, and why are you knowledgeable of my father or his family?" she questioned.

"Who I am is not important, nor do you need to know. As for how I know your father, well, I like to keep track of old friends. My sympathies for your loss, by the way. We were all shocked when we learned of his assassination," he replied.

Her appearance softened slightly, before hardening again. "My gratitude for your sympathy, it was a hard time for my family in particular. Might I ask how you know?"

"I was present during his greatest defeat in the last war, the failed invasion, if you will."

Her eyes widened in shock. "You were at Taria?" she breathed. Then her eyes narrowed. "How exactly is that possible? You don't appear or sound to be any older than 25. That was around the time when that war ended."

Wolfe chuckled. "Indeed, I suppose I don't. But, appearances can be deceiving after all. Especially when it comes to me. And yes, I was there at Taria."

She nodded softly, relaxing softly. "I suppose that I can accept your words. Furthermore, I should at least offer some hospitality to an old soldier serving under my father. What division were you in?" she asked.

"Who says that I served under your father? If you must know, I was in the White Division of the Mercenary Corps," he told her truthfully.

Everyone in the room stiffened, and the tent was filled with the sound of weapons being unsheathed and pointed at him. Adelina's eyes were livid.

"So, you've come to mock my father, have you? You're either mighty foolish, or mighty brave to walk into the middle of my encampment, with over 600 warriors strong, and blatantly declare that you are an enemy to Memoria!" she shouted, walking around the table to approach him with a drawn dagger.

Wolfe chuckled, not worried in the slightest. "Peace, Adelina. Who says that I am your enemy? Point in fact, I am neither your enemy or your friend. For now, you can consider me neutral. I'm sure that you know of the White Division in the Mercenary Corps, after all, it was the most feared for good reason," he said.

"Ma'am, he speaks the truth. He's a mercenary, you shouldn't hold anything against them for our defeat in Taria. He would have been hired for that war, same as the demon Wolfe," one of her men told her.

She froze, and then slowly nodded. "You're right. I know you are," she said softly. Then she stood upright and sheathed her dagger, as did everyone else in the tent. She bowed low to Wolfe in apology. "My apologies, sir. I did not mean for my emotions to get the best of me," she apologized.

Wolfe waved a gauntleted hand dismissively. "It is of no moment. After all, no blood was drawn, and, as such, we are still not enemies. I do have a few questions, however," he replied.

She nodded. "That will be fine, it's the least I can do for such hostilities that we had earlier. Harold, can you bring us some wine?" she asked, turning to another soldier. The man nodded, and made his way to the exit.

"What rating, ma'am?" he asked, pausing at the door. Adelina looked thoughtful. Then she nodded.

"Blue will suffice," she replied.

It was barely noticeable, discreet that, had Wolfe not been who he was, he probably would have missed it. But, he didn't. The man's finger had twitched softly, almost as if he was surprised. Then he nodded, and left the tent. Wolfe chuckled again.

"Trying to poison me, are you Adelina? I thought we had agreed that we weren't enemies," Wolfe said smoothly.

The room flinched, Adelina included. She stared at him. "How could you possibly know that that was my intention?" she asked in disbelief.

"Don't be so foolish as to assume that I am incompetent, Barr. I am well aware of all of your little code words, all your little secrets, and all of your little traps, such as the two men just outside this tent, waiting for me to leave so that they might restrain me and capture me. Maybe get a little bit of knowledge out of me, and then cut my throat. Memories are so predictable it's disgusting," he chastised.

The room flinched again. Wolfe nodded. "You are a fool, Barr. Just like your father was. I came here on peaceful terms, yet you refuse to accept that. As such, I'm going to do a few things. One, everyone in this room is now dead. Two, I will once again oppose your country and all that it entails, such as this little invasion that you are in the midst of. I suppose that it doesn't really matter anymore, now does it? Sure, you'll be dead, those two men outside will be dead once I leave, and yet another soldier of yours will be dead in a little bit. Now, anything to say?" he asked.

The Memories all shared a look, and then broke into hysterical laughter. "You really think that you can kill all of us?" a man laughed.

Wolfe nodded. "Indeed I can. Furthermore, I can do so before any of you make a sound," he told them matter of factly.

The man guffawed, and then pounded the table. "Oh, what I wouldn't give to see you try that!" he exclaimed.

Wolfe shrugged. "Very well."

With that said, Wolfe sprang into action, drawing his daggers as he did so. Calmly, quickly, and efficiently, he slaughtered the lot of them, with blood and gore flying everywhere, until the only one left was Adelina, who was staring at him in horror. Walking calmly through the now blood soaked tent, he stopped in front of her, as she just stood there, staring.

"I could give you a lesson in manners, but, I don't like wasting my breath. After all, what's the point in correcting a dead person?" he asked smoothly.

She just stared. "W-who…" she broke off silently as Wolfe placed his dagger against her neck gently.

"As I said, that doesn't matter, now does it? Now, where is your medical ward? There's a certain mercenary that I need to dispose of. A scyther, named Crux," he said softly.

"C-center of t-the b-base," she stammered out. Wolfe nodded slowly.

"Thank you," he said, before drawing his blade away from her throat. She let out an audible sigh of relief, and then stiffened as Wolfe plunged his dagger into her chest. As her body collapsed, he turned to the side of the tent where the two men were waiting, and threw his daggers through the cloth that made up the tent walls.

He heard a gurgling sound, before hearing two separate thumps coming from where his blades had flown. He nodded again, and calmly walked outside the tent, and made his way over to retrieve his daggers. Then he stood upright as the sound of fighting came from the north. He could hear the sound of swords striking shields and armor, the soft sound of bows firing their arrows, and the screams of wounded and dying men.

All within the span of twenty seconds. Then he heard a chilling howl, and smiled. _Well, well. It would appear that Matt couldn't wait for me. Well, it's a good thing that Adelina lied about the numbers of men here. 30 men wouldn't stand a chance against 600. Not even with the element of surprise. 30 men against 300 though? That's a bit more manageable._

He silently wished them luck, before he ran towards where he was told the medical ward was, heading to the center of the encampment. Then he frowned as he heard more sounds of fighting coming from the southeast. He heard more howling, and realization dawned on him.

 _We must be closer to Matt's fort than I had previously thought. Still, the timing for this is rather remarkable. I've been here for barely an hour, and Gale already reached Matt, and also got a message out to the Fort. Gale, I'm impressed._

He couldn't waste too long dwelling on it, however, as he now had to dodge Memories who were exiting their tents, bewildered. A few of them saw him, recognized that he wasn't one of them, and would attack him. When that happened, he killed every single one of them.

Finally, he reached a larger, and more permanent looking tent that he recognized as a medical tent. Nodding to himself, he slid to halt next to its side. Calmly, he slipped his dagger through the fabric, and slid his blade down, cutting a slot for him. _No need to let them know that I'm here immediately,_ he thought, eyeing the two guards at the entrance. He shook his head in disgust. _Just what I'd expect from a Memory. Unobservant to the extreme._

Quietly and stealthily, he crept into the medical tent and looked around. He frowned almost immediately. There were injured laying down on what appeared to be cots, all in equal rows lining the tent walls. He saw pokemon and humans in equal numbers occupying them. What made him frown, however, was that there were four pokemon at the entrance, standing guard behind the two external guards. _Not paying attention either,_ he thought. He rolled his eyes, and then looked for his target.

As luck would have it, the unusual scyther was right next to where he made his entrance, tossing and turning in his sleep as he muttered to himself. Wolfe chuckled to himself softly as he observed the maimed pokemon. His one blade was now soaking in a glass container, filled with blood. Wolfe raised an eyebrow at this, then shrugged. Didn't concern him, after all.

Carefully creeping over to his side, Wolfe slowly raised his dagger to plunge into the bug's chest, and hopefully killing him. Right as he was about to slam his hand down, he sensed a blow coming from in front of him. Reacting on instinct, he rolled away from the scyther, and out into the center of the tent, narrowly avoiding an ice shard that imbedded itself in a wooden pole that was part of the tents frame. Then four pokemon were standing in between him and Crux.

One of them, the glaceon, approached him with eyes blazing. As Wolfe observed it, he noticed with interest that its irises were red tinged. Then it spoke to him, sounding angry.

"Not on our watch, human," he spat at him. It looked like it was about to lunge at him, until the blaziken stopped it with an arm.

"Don't rush things, Temna. That's an easy way to get yourself killed," she said calmly. The glaceon turned to glare at her, before dipping his head and backing up. Then the blaziken faced Wolfe, and got in a defensive stance. "He's right though. You won't be killing that scyther tonight, not while we're standing. Besides, he's injured. Where's the honor in killing a crippled fighter?" she challenged him.

"You're wasting your breath. He's a human. He can't understand you," the machamp cut in.

Wolfe laughed cheerfully. "Oh, yes I can, dear friends. I'm not like most humans. As for honor, well, I don't figure that Crux deserves an honorable death," he told them with a chuckle. Ignoring the magmar's shocked exclamation, Wolfe rolled his shoulders as he continued. "So far as me not killing him while you're standing, well, I've always enjoyed a challenge."

Before they could react, he flipped his dagger so that he was grabbing its blade, and then flicked his wrist sharply, sending the blade tumbling through the air. He watched, almost as though things were in slow motion, as the dagger flew towards Crux, narrowly avoiding the blaziken, and flying through the arms the machamp had thrown up to try and block it, until the blade sank into the side of Crux's skull, all the way to the hilt.

Then, he threw his second dagger at the magmar, watching with satisfaction as it imbedded itself into its throat. The other three pokemon stared at first Crux, and then the magmar, anger flooding their gazes. Wolfe smiled thinly as he saw the scyther spasming, knocking the container over and spilling the blood it contained onto the ground. Then he stopped moving completely, even as the magmar fell to its knees, before collapsing onto its side.

"I believe that you were mistaken," Wolfe told the blaziken cheerfully. Her eyes blazed in pure fury as she stared at him.

"Was it necessary to kill Maddie!?" she screamed at him, pointing at the magmar's corpse.

Wolfe shrugged. "I took out my target, and the one I considered to be the biggest threat to me. So, yes. Yes it was," he answered nonchalantly.

Her eyes got even more pissed, even as her fists suddenly caught fire. "Oh, you're going to pay. Temna, Dirk, you with me?" she yelled. The machamp and glaceon let out approving growls and grunts respectively, and got in offensive positions.

Wolfe also heard the sound of armor clanking as the two human guards ran towards the enemy pokemon to support them. As they did so, Wolfe noticed that the glaceon, Temna, shot them chilling glares, even as he had done to Wolfe himself.

"Well, well. Five versus one. This ought to be interesting," Wolfe said cheerfully. Reaching up to his throat, he unclasped his cloak to let it fall behind him. As he did so, he saw the glaceon's eyes widen in surprise.

"You!" he shouted. Wolfe turned a questioning glance to him, even as a dark blur suddenly impacted the two human guards, causing them to collapse with the sound of armor clanging together. The three pokemon and Wolfe turned to look at them in surprise.

Wolfe saw that the cause of the attacks was standing over the two downed soldiers, and was again moderately surprised. It was a flareon. Although this one was slightly larger than normal, brimming with muscle. Where it would normally have red fur, this one had black. It also had a scar over its left eye. _Interesting,_ he thought.

"Who are you?!" the blaziken screamed.

"Flare," it said shortly, in a masculine voice.

"Why would you help this human!?" she asked.

The flareon shrugged. "I actually was just after Crux, but he already took care of him for me. So, I figured that I would help him out. After all, five versus one isn't exactly fair odds," he answered.

Temna glared at them furiously. Then he snarled. "Hey, fire bird, you take care of him, alright? Dirk and I have this guy," he said, flicking his head at Wolfe. The blaziken didn't answer, it simply charged at the flareon.

Temna rolled his eyes, and then fired an ice shard at Wolfe, who dodged, even as the machamp lumbered towards him. _Well, this ain't good,_ he thought, as he dodged a swing of the pokemon's fist, as well as another ice shard. His gaze fell on his dagger inside of the magmar's corpse. _I need to reach that if I want to finish this quickly._

That thought in mind, he dodged two more attacks, before using his unique Dark Pulse to send the machamp and glaceon tumbling away. Then he dived towards his dagger, yanking it out of the corpse. Then he rolled to his feet and stared at the machamp, who had landed on a couple of the other patients, who were still miraculously asleep through all of this. Well, except those two. Those two were very clearly dead, crushed by the large pokemon. He frowned when he didn't immediately spot the glaceon.

Once the machamp was on its feet, he spotted it, and almost chuckled. _Well, looks like he's down for the count,_ he thought, seeing the glaceon's eyes closed, as well as a leg that was obviously broke.

The machamp ignored the fact that it had just crushed its comrade, and let loose a bellow as it charged him. Wolfe braced himself, and then ducked under its groping arms, before turning around and plunging his dagger into its side, puncturing a lung.

It roared in pain, and then swept its left arms to try and back hand him, which Wolfe dodged. Wolfe stomped his foot on the side of its muscular leg, breaking the bones at its joint, causing it to fall to its knees with a bellow. Now that it was a more appropriate height, and wasn't towering over him, Wolfe finished the fight by slamming his blade through the pokemon's temple, driving the blade deep into its brain.

The machamp stiffened, before it slowly fell on its face, with Wolfe pulling his dagger from its corpse as he did so. Wolfe flipped the bloody dagger once more, grabbing its blade, then slung it over his shoulder at the blaziken who was still fighting Flare.

He watched in satisfaction as it embedded itself in her back, causing her to arch it around the dagger before she too fell on her face.

Wolfe and Flare exchanged glances, then nodded at each other. "Thanks for the help," Wolfe told him.

The flareon nodded. "Not a problem. After all, you did help me," he said.

Wolfe nodded in acceptance. Then he turned to Crux's corpse, and approached it to withdraw his dagger from his skull. As he did so, he heard a soft gasp coming from the downed glaceon. He turned to it with some surprise.

"Well, well. It's still alive," he observed. Flare stared at it with contempt.

"Who cares, kill it and be done with it."

Wolfe frowned, then shook his head. "No, I don't think that I will. I didn't get all that many answers before. This will be a good way to do so," he answered, before walking over to it and slinging it roughly over his shoulder.

Flare rolled his eyes. "Whatever, not my problem," he said.

Wolfe shrugged. Then he walked out of the tent and into the cool night air, with Flare following him. He then turned towards where he heard shouting, though there were no more sounds of fighting. He also saw a few soldiers in grey armor run by him, nodding their respect to him as they did so.

"Well, it looks like the Grey Wolves were victorious," he announced quietly. Flare glanced at him curiously.

"Is that the name of the group you work for?" he questioned.

Wolfe shook his head. "No, I work for the Dark Army. They're merely friends of mine," he replied.

"Dark Army? What's that exactly?"

Wolfe chuckled as he nodded to more soldiers. "It's a private military group, that sends its troops wherever needed or thought needed, as well as accepting more personal contracts," he answered.

Flare frowned thoughtfully. "I might be interested in this Dark Army that you speak of," he said.

Wolfe laughed. "Well, I suppose that you can tag along with us when we return if you'd like to. Going to be heading back there shortly, actually. Our mission was to take out Crux, which I did. So, we get to go home early."

Flare nodded. "I might take you up on that."

"Well, just let me know if you do."

"Wolfe!" a familiar voice cut in. He raised his head to see the welcome sight of a white vulpix, followed by a shiny sylveon. Wolfe chuckled, and dropped onto a knee to catch the white bundle of fur as it leaped into his arm, nuzzling him furiously.

"Well, Gale, it's good to see you again as well," he laughed.

She raised her head to glare at him. "Next time, I'm not leaving you alone. You're lucky that I ran into Matt as soon as I did, as well as that he agreed with me that we should mount an assault. He called in 200 men from his fort! Regardless, you're lucky mister," she told him, pressing a paw against his chest. Wolfe chuckled, and stroked the back of her head.

"Fine, I won't ask you to leave next time. But, Toxy needed to get out of here safely, as well as me not wanting to have you be put in harm's way when I could manage. Oh yeah, we can go home now," he told her.

She squealed happily, even as Toxy approached him, looking sad. "You lied to me, Zero. Also, you didn't tell me that you could turn human," she muttered sadly.

Wolfe stared at her, not very impressed. "Considering what you did to me earlier, I hardly feel that me lying about my name is that bad," he reminded her.

She flinched, and blushed. "I suppose you're right. And I guess I have my own secrets as well," she said sadly.

Wolfe smiled. "There ya go! Now, where's Matt?" he asked the vulpix in his arms.

She pointed with a paw. "That way," she said, before laying her head against his chest. "But you get to carry me. Making me run all that way is very tiring."

Wolfe chuckled and nodded, before standing up straight and making his way towards where she had pointed. "Oh yeah, we'll be taking one, possibly two more people back with us. One is this glaceon I'm carrying. He might have some information for us, as he is technically a prisoner. The other is the black flareon right there. His name is Flare, he's a friend," he informed.

Gale frowned at him, before nodding understandingly. "I suppose that's alright. I mean, if they don't cause any problems, then there should be no problem. But," she said, pressing her paw firmly into his chest, "if they do, then it's on your shoulders, alright?"

He chuckled, and nodded. "Of course, I'll take full credit."

"Um… can… can I come as well?" Toxy asked. Wolfe turned to look at her, then shrugged.

"I don't care. The larger the headache for Duke, the happier I am," he told her gleefully.

Gale rolled her eyes. "You really don't like him, do you?" she asked. At his nod, she sighed and answered Toxy. "I don't care if you tag along either, just respect boundaries, alright?"

Toxy nodded ecstatically. "Sure!~ And thank you!~" she exclaimed.

Gale sighed, and shook her head, causing Wolfe to laugh.

"There's that demon!" he heard Matt shout loudly, which caused his soldiers, who were surrounding any captured enemies, to cheer and howl happily. Matt approached him, and clapped his unoccupied shoulder. "Nice going boss! I assumed that you were the one who slaughtered their command, which largely lead to our quick victory tonight," he told him.

Wolfe nodded in agreement. "Aye, that was me. Though it wasn't my original intention. Their manners were a bit lacking, so I corrected them."

Matt guffawed, and pounded his knee. "And correct them you did! Now, I turn to the master to find out what we should do with these prisoners."

Wolfe eyed them carefully. It appeared that around 50 of the enemies survived. Among them were the two guards who he had first met upon arriving. "How large are your cells at your fort?" he questioned.

Matt frowned. "Well, we don't exactly have cells. We have a few places where we can store some prisoners, but not all of them. So, do you want us to free them?"

Wolfe frowned, and then walked up to the men slowly. "Who here is here was a part of the slaughter at that village?" he asked them.

The prisoners shared glances, before all of them raised their hands. Wolfe nodded, and turned back to Matt. "Kill them all," he ordered shortly.

Matt nodded. "By your order, sir! Boys! Kill them!" he shouted to his men.

Screams filled the air, as the Grey Wolves carried out their orders, along with pleads for mercy. As this was taking place, he turned back to Matt.

"Have them stop when ten of them are left, alright? Put some fear in them. It'll make them more malleable in the future," he ordered softly.

Matt nodded in understanding. "Aye, sir. I figured that that's what you had in mind. What should I do with the rest?"

"Turn them loose. Let them return back to their country or leader. But, strip them of all weapons. Also, ask the remainders if they'd be willing to fight for you. Then train them as I trained you. I expect that at least one will accept that offer," he said, pointing at the guard who had escorted him earlier.

Matt raised an eyebrow. "You know him?" he asked.

Wolfe chuckled. "No, not personally. I just helped him out a little earlier. I don't like wasting my words."

Matt grinned. "Aye, I understand sir," he said. Then he turned back to his men. "Alright, stop! I think they've learned their lesson, haven't they boys?"

The men let out a shout of agreement, each pausing mid strike. Wolfe did a quick head count, and saw that there were 11 left. Nodding once, he approached the remaining prisoners. They all flinched from him, fear present in their eyes, as well as a little hatred. He smiled at them brightly.

"Well, Memories, today is your lucky day! You get to live! At least for now. I make no promises for the future, as I am no psychic. So, tell me, Memories, how do you feel?" he called out to them.

They all flinched from him. Then they started speaking amongst themselves. Finally, they all turned to him with glares. "Like you should be killed!" a man shouted. Wolfe nodded with a smile, and then set Gale down gently, as she stared at him questioningly.

"If you feel that I should be killed, raise your hand!" he called.

Nine of the 11 men left raised their hands. Wolfe noticed that the two guards were the ones not to. He pointed at them. "Why shouldn't I be killed?" he asked them.

The two shared a look, and then sighed. The guard that escorted him earlier then raised his eyes to look at him. "Because we wouldn't stop. We would have slaughtered all of us. But, you didn't. We… we also know why you would order our deaths. I saw the aftermath of that village. I hated it. All those civilians, all those innocents, all dead. Because we followed orders. Because we didn't refuse. Because… because we were weak, and submissive. So, for those reasons, I don't feel that you should be killed," he said honestly.

Wolfe nodded. "Very good, you're learning. I recommend that you all learn as well. Imagine how easily you could have all been killed. Just one word, and you all might still be killed. But, I won't do that. So, I leave you to the Grey Wolves," he announced, before turning and walking back to Matt with Gale following him.

"Well Matt, I'm going to be heading back, alright? But, I'll stop by to visit when I can. Don't get yourself or your men killed, you hear?" he asked him.

Matt nodded. "Alright, I wish you the best. I'll see you around, alright?"

Wolfe grinned at him. "You got it,"

 **[POV: Lura]**

In the week and a half that followed Wolfe being gone, Lura spent a lot of it with Nova. They talked, they gossiped, they flirted, and had a good time in general. Their top two topics were their mates, and Lura's egg.

"I'm so excited for you!" Nova would squeal delightedly. Lura would giggle, and say, "Thanks!"

But, as time went on, Lura began to miss Wolfe more and more. She missed his kisses, his cuddles, his comments, as well as just his presence. Sure, Cordina was there for her to cuddle with, but she could tell that she was missing Wolfe as well. It seemed that everyone was.

It also didn't help that their eggs were moving frequently now, rocking in place, signifying that they were getting close to hatching. Which was actually earlier than it should have been, according to Nova anyway. While she was excited that the eggs were getting close to hatching, it also made her sad to know that Wolfe wouldn't be there for it. She partially hated Duke for sending him on this mission, when he knew that their eggs would be hatching soon. She almost thought that he did it on purpose.

One day, about 12 days after Wolfe and Gale had left, Lura noticed that the eggs were rocking a lot more violently than before. She let out an excited squeal before running to get Cordina and Nova, who said that she wanted to be present for the eggs hatching. With any luck, they'd both be in Nova's room, which had almost become their second room.

As she ran, she eagerly spoke to Wolfe through their bond. _'Aurumn! They're hatching! They're hatching, they're hatching, they're hatching!'_ she mentally squealed.

She didn't get a reply before she burst into Kage and Nova's room, where Cordina, Nova and Kage were. They all looked up at her as she burst into the room.

"They're hatching!" she shouted happily.

Nova let out a loud squeal, before bolting past Lura, almost knocking her over, and disappearing into the hall. There they heard shout happily, which caused Lura and Cordina to giggle, before they chased after the excited eevee. She heard Kage laugh softly behind them as they left.

As soon as they entered their room, Lura and Cordina laughed loudly. Nova was eagerly bouncing around the two eggs, still squealing loudly.

"Oh my Arceus!~" she squealed. "They're hatching!~ They're hatching!~ This is so exciting!~"

Lura and Cordina jumped onto the bed, careful to avoid the energetic eevee. There they stared at their eggs with awe, waiting for that first crack to appear. Then she felt someone nuzzle her affectionately, causing her to let out a little squeak as she turned her head in shock. Then she let out a happy mewl upon seeing Wolfe, who was staring at her and Cordina happily, eyes bright.

"Am I on time?" he asked. Lura and Cordina nodded, and turned to watch the two eggs once more, with Wolfe sitting in between her and Cordina.

They all stared at the eggs breathlessly, waiting. Then, Lura gasped, as Nova stopped to stare. A crack had appeared on Cordina's egg.

The all watched, heart in their throats, as another crack appeared, then another, then yet another. Finally, the egg shattered as a silver shape dove through the shell that had housed it. Its leap carried it well away from its egg, before it collided with Wolfe's chest, who caught the little eevee easily. Nova bolted over to stare down at it from in front of Wolfe, as Lura and Cordina stared at it. Lura noticed that Cordina's eyes appeared to be filling with water.

The silver eevee opened its eyes, and immediately fell on Wolfe. It smiled hugely, before cuddling into him. "Vee!" it said happily.

A chorus of 'Awhs' followed this declaration, as Wolfe leaned down and gently nuzzled it, to its obvious delight. "Name?" he asked quietly.

Cordina didn't even pause. "Malik," she answered softly. Wolfe nodded in agreement.

"Hello there, Malik. I'm your father, and this is your mother," Wolfe told the little eevee gently, gesturing with his tail to Cordina, who waved a paw at him.

Malik's eyes lit up even more as its gaze fell on her. "Mother!" it shouted, and launched itself out of Wolfe's embrace and into hers. Cordina immediately wrapped a forearm around him, hugging him tightly.

"Look!" Nova said, pointing a paw at the final egg.

Lura watched as the egg began to crack, before it too leaped out of its shell, this time right into Lura, who caught it gently.

The brown eevee stared up at her with wide eyes, before it beamed at her and cuddled into her, much as Malik had done with Wolfe. "Hello, Keaira," she murmured to her daughter gently, scarcely noticing Wolfe and Nova next to her, both looking down at it. "I'm your mother, and this here is your father," she said, nuzzling Wolfe. Keaira turned her bright gaze to Wolfe, and beamed at him with her eyes closed.

Then, eyes still closed, it made its way over to him, and into Wolfe's embrace, who nuzzled her softly.

"Hello, Keaira," he murmured.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed.

Staring at her mate and daughter, Lura felt the happiest that she ever had, feeling so much love well up in her, that it almost seemed to make her drown in it.

But, she wasn't going to complain.

 **[POV: Gale]**

After Gabe had teleported them to their headquarters, Wolfe disappeared to watch his children hatch, and she took Gabe, Toxy, Flare and their prisoner, the glaceon Temna, to go see Duke and Luna to report.

After that, her report, Gabe took Toxy and Flare to the C sleeping wing, but Duke held Gale back for a moment.

"Why didn't Wolfe come to this report, Hail?" he asked carefully.

Gale frowned at him. "You should know, sir. His kids are hatching, he went there," she answered.

Duke glared. "He should have been here! I don't give a damn about his kids, this is part of his job!" he shouted.

Gale rolled her eyes. "Then take that up with him. And get your ass beat again. You know exactly what he would do," she retorted. Duke's eyes flashed, as he barely concealed a growl.

Then he shook himself, and grinned delightedly. "I suppose you're right. Well, no matter. I recommend that you get to your room. Your mate is excited to see you again," he said.

Gale frowned, and turned away from him. "He's not my mate, thank you very much," she called, before she left his office and made her way to her room.

 _Hopefully, he won't be there right now,_ she thought as she entered it. Her hopes were dashed almost immediately.

"Welcome back, bitch. Did you enjoy yourself while you were gone?"

 **[POV: Nova]**

Nova was still super excited over her friends' new children. It had been a few hours, but it showed no sign of wearing off. She would have stayed there, but she felt that Lura and Cordina would want some alone time with their mate and kids.

So, she paced around the room excitedly, while Kage just laid there with an amused look on his face.

"What are you pacing around for?" he asked.

She shot him a look. "I can't help it! I'm excited!" she yelled.

Kage just chuckled in amusement. "Well, find something to occupy your mind then. You're making me dizzy," he said.

She glared at him. "Like what?" she asked.

She heard chuckling coming from their door, and turned her head to face it. Seeing that it was Wolfe, she let out a little huff, and then stalked over to him. Then she smacked his nose with a paw.

"Bad Wolfe! You should be in there with your mates and kids!" she yelled at him.

His nose twitched down at her with some amusement. "You are way~ too cute when you're mad. Frankly, it's distracting how adorable you are. But, they're nursing and sleeping right now, but I'm wide awake. So, I came to visit," he said cheerfully.

She huffed again, before turning around and walking towards Kage stiffly. "Fine, I suppose that's alright then," she muttered.

Kage looked at Wolfe curiously. "So, what did you want?" he asked.

Wolfe grinned brightly. "Well, I'm in a rather good mood, and I remember distinctly promising you a time on top. Well, since I'm in the mood, and I can't be in my room, I figure that you might as well get your chance now," he answered cheerfully.

Kage stared at him. "You mean right now?" he asked.

Wolfe nodded with a grin. "Yeap, right now."

Kage shrugged. "Well, I'm game I suppose."

Nova let out a little squeak, and smacked him with a paw. "What am I supposed to do then?" she asked.

Wolfe winked at her. "Well, I was going to see if you wanted to join us. I think that it could be a lot of fun," he replied.

Nova frowned. "I don't do things with males, unless I'm with him," she said, poking a paw at Kage.

Wolfe's smile broadened. "Well, that's the good part. You see, you would be with him. Just, well, he'd be having his way with me, which frees something up if you catch my drift," he said suggestively with a wink.

Kage snorted softly, as Nova frowned. "He does have a point," he told Nova. She glared at him, but slowly fell into a thoughtful frown.

"Well…" she said, before trailing off. Then she sighed, and looked at Kage. "You're seriously alright with this?"

He nodded. "I don't see why not. After all, you didn't care that he and I did stuff. So, I think that it could be interesting."

Nova bit her lip softly. Then she sighed and looked at Wolfe. "Fine, but just this once, alright?" she demanded.

His eyes lit up considerably. "I can agree to just this once for now," he said, before Nova saw a bowl psychically float into their room.

Kage rolled his eyes. "I see you anticipated my answer," he snorted, before standing up. Wolfe nodded with a chuckle.

 **VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

 **LEMON WARNING: MxFxM**

 **[3rd Person POV]**

Wolfe hopped onto the bed, bringing the bowl with him, before he set it down gently. Then he looked at the other two brightly.

"So, how do we want to do this?" he asked.

Nova and Kage exchanged a glance, before they both shrugged and turned back to him. "Well, the easiest way I suppose," Nova said, as she got onto her paws and faced away from him. Then she lowered her front and hiked her tail up slowly, revealing herself to the two males.

Wolfe hummed his appreciation as he slowly approached her, with Kage making his way over to the bowl. "You know, I'm not going to lie, I've been looking forward to this for quite a while," Wolfe told Nova, as she looked at him over her shoulder.

"Don't get used to this buddy. It's a one-time thing, alright?" she replied with a wink.

Wolfe chuckled, before he lowered his muzzle to her slit. "You just keep telling yourself that, alright? Meanwhile…" his voice trailed off as he slowly licked her pussy, causing her to squeak in surprise. He chuckled again.

Then he licked her again, before he pushed his muzzle into her harder, penetrating her softly with his tongue as she moaned. Wolfe smiled to himself, before he began to explore her cavern, enjoying her tightness around his tongue.

Then he felt Kage tap his rear lightly in request. Wolfe obliged, lifting his tail for the other male. _'Not one for foreplay, eh?'_ he asked Kage silently. His only response was a low growl, even as he felt the red ringed umbreon start to rub a liquid against his anus. He returned his attention back to the panting eevee he was pleasuring.

Nova felt Wolfe start to nibble her very gently, which cause an enormous amount of pleasure to go through her body. She pushed herself back against his muzzle, moaning loudly. Then she felt his tongue scrape against a very sensitive spot inside of her, and rewarded his efforts with a rush of fluid as she neared her orgasm.

Wolfe chuckled delightedly as felt her walls start to twitch around his tongue, before he withdrew it from inside of her, and returned to teasing her outer walls. Then he located her clit, and began to tease that with his tongue as well, hearing her adorable moans flow into the air. He nibbled on it slightly, before he began to suck. Then he plunged his tongue back inside of her, hearing her cry out even as her walls began to spasm uncontrollably. He felt a stronger rush of fluid flow from her sex and into his mouth, where he drank it eagerly.

Kage heard his mate orgasm, and decided that it was time that he joined in on the fun, especially considering that he had already lubed up the slightly larger umbreon's tail hole. He reared back onto his hind legs, and mounted the other male, with his member prodding against his puckered sphincter. Then he growled lowly and began to force himself inside of the tight fuck hole.

His eyes widened slightly once he felt the warm tightness that was Wolfe's asshole. He braced himself, and then thrust himself into the male as far as he could, moaning softly the whole way. He heard Wolfe moan as well, though it was muffled due to the fact that his muzzle was currently buried inside of Nova's pussy.

Wolfe felt Kage's rod force his anus open, and moaned slightly at the sheer pleasure he was feeling. Then he grunted when the male thrust himself into him all the way. He shifted his hind legs to try and adjust, before he felt Kage begin to thrust smoothly in and out of him. He thought he heard Kage moan, which caused him to smile into Nova. He thrust his ass backwards to match the male's thrusting, causing him to go deeper. He began to pant.

Nova felt Wolfe's effort start to slack, and giggled softly as she looked over her shoulder at her mate, who was currently fucking Wolfe's ass. _Hot,_ she thought. She pulled herself away from Wolfe's muzzle, and turned around to face him. She was about to crawl underneath him, when she suddenly found his mouth on hers as he began to kiss her.

 _Oh,_ she thought. She giggled, and began to kiss him back. When he licked her lips questioningly, she opened her mouth to let him into it. She moaned softly as he began to explore around her teeth and tongue, before she entered his mouth with her own tongue.

Kage growled softly as he felt Wolfe's ass clench around his dick, and bit down on his scruff as his claws dug into the male's sides, pulling him back into his crotch as he thrust himself forward. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Wolfe and Nova kissing. For whatever reason, this turned him on even more.

Wolfe felt Kage rutting him furiously, and moaned into Nova's mouth. He pulled away from her reluctantly, and then winked at her. She giggled as she got his message, and crawled underneath him. Shortly after, he felt her breath against his own erect member. Then he moaned loudly as he felt her small maw envelope it, barely able to fit inside of her. He unconsciously thrust himself forward, forcing his rod down her throat. He felt her attempt to giggle around him, and almost lost it.

"H-holy f-fuck, Nova!~" he exclaimed. He felt her attempt to giggle again, before she began to rock her body back and forth along his member, using it as a toy to fuck her throat with. He thrust his body to match her and Kage's motions, sliding himself back onto Kage's dick as he thrust in, and forcing himself down Nova's throat as Kage pulled out.

He turned his head to look at the male fucking him, who had his teeth buried in the back of his neck. They made eye contact, though no motions were stopped, and Kage released his grip on Wolfe's scruff. Immediately, Wolfe closed his eyes and slammed his muzzle against the other male's, kissing him deeply. Kage's eye's widened slightly, before he returned it as well, still furiously fucking Wolfe.

Nova pulled herself away from Wolfe's rod, and then turned herself around, staring behind her to line them up. "Kage, stop for a second," she called out. Immediately, Kage stopped.

She heard the sound of parting lips, as well as feeling some movement above her. She turned her head forward to look at Wolfe, who was grinning at her. "Need some help, hon?" he asked cheerfully.

She glared at him, and huffed. Then she slammed herself backwards as hard as she could, taking his cock deep inside of her cunt. She and Wolfe moaned together, as she took a minute to adjust to his size. "Damn, you and Kage have a lot in common," she muttered. She heard them both chuckle softly, before Kage began to thrust into Wolfe again, causing the other umbreon to rock forward into Nova.

"Holy shit, Nova~ You're so _tight_!" she heard Wolfe moan. She moaned back in response, as he began to pick up their pace.

Kage began to grunt and pant louder and harder, feeling his urge to release rise. He started going as hard as he could, thrusting into Wolfe so fast that he was almost a blur, forcing the other male down further into his mate. He heard Nova give off a louder moan, signifying that she had reached her second orgasm.

Wolfe felt Kage's knot beginning to develop, feeling it press against his tail hole as he was furious fucked. He grinned mischievously, and thrust himself back even harder into Kage's crotch, forcing the knot inside of him as he heard Kage gasp.

Still grinning, he looked back at the male again, and kissed him once more, with them moaning into each other's mouths as Wolfe felt Kage fill his ass full of his seed. Wolfe paused his motions with Nova, just enjoying the sensation of being filled. He heard Nova whine softly, as she began to rock herself back and forth against him.

Breaking away from Kage, Wolfe turned his attention to the attractive eevee below him, who was pouting currently. Wolfe chuckled. "Don't worry hon, I'm not done with you quite yet. Just need Mr. Sexy back here to finish filling me up, then I'll continue," he told her seductively.

She let out an impatient whine, but nodded. A couple minutes later, he felt Kage's knot deflate, before the red ringed umbreon pulled out of him, causing him to moan slightly. Wolfe grinned at Kage, and winked. "Thanks sexy," he told him. Kage rolled his eyes, and made a 'get on with it' gesture with a paw. Wolfe chuckled, then turned his attention to the eevee below him.

"Ready?" he purred. She nodded, and grinded her ass against him, causing him to moan. Without any other pause, he began to fuck her just as furiously as earlier, loving the feeling of the tight and tiny eevee below him. _How the hell can you even take me?_

Lowering his muzzle to her side, he began to match Kage's previous pace with him, growling softly at Nova's adorable squeaks and moans. Soon, he felt his own know slapping against her slit, as she stared back at him lustfully.

"Not gonna last much longer," he gasped out as he felt her orgasm yet again. She nodded dumbly, too wracked with pleasure to speak.

As she stared at him, moaning loudly, she felt his knot start to enter her, before it was gone. She could scarcely believe that he could almost make her feel like Kage made her feel. Almost. But, nothing could match that. However, she was loving the feeling of being filled to her limit, even before he had orgasmed. That thought in mind, all she could do was pant.

Seeing her just staring at him, Wolfe growled quietly before capturing her mouth with his own, kissing her like he had kissed her mate. As she gasped, he plunged his tongue into her mouth even as he forced her tiny frame to open even more as his knot made its way inside of her. She howled as she felt him start pumping her full of his own seed, orgasming a moment later at the feeling.

They stayed locked like that for a little while, before they broke apart, and Wolfe pulled out. He stood there, panting as he watched some of his sperm escape from her depths, before she collapsed, falling asleep. He and Kage chuckled, before facing each other. Wolfe smirked slightly. "I say we join her," he said. Kage nodded his agreement, before making his way over to his mate and curling up next to her.

 **LEMON END**

 **VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

Wolfe smiled at them for a while, before he quietly hopped off of the bed so as not to wake Nova, before making his way out of their room and into his own.

There, he smiled even deeper as he stared at his two mates, both curled around their sleeping children. As he entered, Lura raised her head to smile at him. Chuckling softly, Wolfe hopped onto the bed and slowly walked over to her, where he met her lips with his own.

Still kissing her, he curled his body and tail around her and Cordina, with their two kits in between them. Then he broke off their kiss gently, and just smiled at her.

"I love you, Lura," he told her, feeling as though he had never spoken more true of a sentence. Lura giggled at him, before kissing his cheek softly, much as she did so long ago, before they were mates.

"I love you too, Aurumn."

* * *

 **Alright! So, re uploading this, and then scurrying off to work, where I am probably going to be late lol. But, whatever. A promise is a promise, and I'm already picking up two extra shifts this week. They can deal with me being delayed a little bit.**

 **Regardless, I need to hurry.**

 **So, what did you all think of Keaira and Malik? Are you in love with them yet? Are you hating them yet? Are they your favorite characters yet? I HOPE SO!**

 **I'm going to stop attempting to make guarantees about when longer chapters will be out, there's just no physical way for me to do that yet lol. Not with my work schedule. I might reduce chapter word count to 8000 words, because that is easily managed. Meh, I'll decide later.**

 **Let me know what all of your thoughts are about this chapter! I'm very proud of this one as well, even if it isn't as long as I had first hoped :p. Regardless, I hope that you all enjoyed! And I'll see you next chapter!**

 **-Aurumn**


	22. Chapter 21: Joy

**A/N: Hey all, Aurumn again. I bet you're all absolutely sick of this story by now, right? No? You want more? Ah, shucks. You're making me blush :). (If that were possible. Normally, I'm the one making others blush. Yeah, I'm an ass.) Regardless, more chapters! Also, feel free to skip the following talk, (hell, feel free to skip the whole A/N XD!) it is just explaining why this chapter was delayed. Also, should note, that down below is only part of the reason. I've been working every day for the past 11 days as I'm writing this. Well over 40 hours in the last week actually. So yeah, nice paycheck! Woot! If you skip the following, and I really hope a lot of you do, just because it's not really pertaining to this story at all, and I feel moderately bad about including it, don't feel bad! I don't mind. But, I'm leaving it there regardless. At least for now.**

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 **Please note, this sob story has been deleted, never to be brought back again! Woot!**

* * *

 **Soooo, yeah… I may or may not have made myself sad lol. But, it's all good! Yeah… this turned into a 500+ word Author's Note, lmao. My bad! Anycase, on with the chapter! So far, I'm liking how it's turning out, though it isn't finished yet :p. Who knows, I might finish the chapter and then rewrite this AN, getting rid of that little speech up there that I said I wouldn't write. Then y'all won't even see this XD. Meh, we'll see how things go. Anycase, I hope you all enjoy! Let me know if there's anything that I can do to improve! Also, I would LOVE it if y'all told me what your favorite part was. MORE OF A (for some reason) FAN FAV! WOOT!**

 **Yeah, I have a tendency to ramble. Regardless, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Aurumn does not own Pokemon or any of its affiliates. He does, however, own his OC's and the story that they're in, unless stated otherwise.**

* * *

 **[POV: Tal]**

 _ **{I wonder if you love me as much as I love you…}**_

 _So close,_ he thought, as he inched his way through the brush towards his target, making sure to be as quiet as possible. _Won't even know what happened._ He let out an evil chuckle.

There was his target, sitting next to a river and daintily washing a paw. As he approached, he saw the creature's ears perk up, and it began to look around. Tal crouched even lower, so that he could barely see it, and it would be hard pressed to spot him at all. The quadruped whom he was stalking shrugged, and went back to dabbing its paws in the river, oblivious to the fact that something was after it.

He crept closer, till he was just a meter away. _Now,_ he thought, as he wriggled his rear in preparation for his assault. Then he leaped forward, putting as much force as possible into his hind legs to get the most out of his pounce, forepaws outstretched towards the other pokemon. He grinned evilly… and then let out a squeal as the flareon dipped her head to take a drink from the river, causing him to sail over her head and into the cold water.

"Aaaah!" he screamed, before being cut off as he impacted the water. His momentum was so great, that he went all the way to the bottom of the river, where his shoulder slammed into the ground, knocking some air out of him. Then, still underwater, he shook himself and pouted. _Damn. Foiled again._ Then he grudgingly made his way to the surface.

As he broke out from underneath the water, he inhaled the air above him deeply, filling his lungs of what he had lost. Then he shook his head to clear the water from his ears, allowing him to hear the beautiful sound of Aileen's laughter. He pouted some more as he turned his head towards where the lovely flareon was currently rolling on the grass.

"Oh my Arceus!" she laughed. Tal glared at her, before sulkily swimming to the shore and pulling himself out of the water. Then he made his way over to her, where he stood over her giggling form, waiting for her to gain control over voice again.

After a while, it became apparent that she wasn't going to stop any time soon, so, grumbling the whole time, Tal shook the water out of his fur, effectively showering the laughing 'mon in cold water. She let out a loud yelp, before jumping to her feet and away from him.

"That wasn't very nice," she giggled at him.

Tal pouted at her. "And it wasn't nice of you to make me end up in the water again. That's the third time this week!" he exclaimed. Aileen just giggled at him.

"Well, you wouldn't have ended up in the water if you didn't try to push me into it," she told him, sticking her tongue out. Tal looked away, and grumbled to himself, before cracking a smile and laughing.

"Well, maybe I wouldn't be so tempted to push you into the water if you didn't have to go against the stereotypical fire type and enjoy it so much," he retorted.

She giggled some more, before walking up to him and swatting him with her bushy tail. "I like having my paws clean! That's not really my fault, now is it?" she asked.

He deadpanned at her. "Yes. Yes, it is. You could be like most pokemon and wash them with your tongue," he returned.

Her face crinkled in displeasure. "After everywhere I've walked? No thank you. Who knows what I've stepped in," she said.

Tal grinned at her mischievously. "Dirt," he chuckled.

She glared at him, and let out a soft huff. "Probably a lot more than dirt," she pouted.

He winked at her. "Most pokemon avoid stepping in pokemon or human waste."

She swatted him again. "That was one time!" she shouted, fur bristling softly. Tal chuckled lightly.

"Once is enough hon," he told her with another wink. His heart began to swell a little as he saw her face blush deeply, before she looked away. _Beautiful._

Briefly, he wondered if this was why Zero acted the way he did. He knew that he could never fully be like his Zero, but… if by borrowing some aspects from his better personality he could help out someone, then he wasn't going to complain one bit.

Then he shook himself to clear his mind, and grinned easily at the blushing flareon. "So, do you wanna get some food? I'll buy?" he asked cheerfully.

She shook her head, and then smiled at him, blush fading. "Sure! But you always buy… aren't you going to run out of money?" she asked hesitantly.

Tal shook his head. "Nope! I have a rather large amount of poke, more than I could possibly spend in a life time. You can thank my friend Zero for that. Don't ask why, he never said," he replied.

She frowned at him. "Zero? I think that you've mentioned him before… who is he exactly?"

He sat down, and then gazed up at the clear sky. "Well, I suppose that Zero is more of a nickname for him. Anycase, he's an umbreon, whose name is actually Wolfe. He's a mercenary of sorts. He's actually been hired for a while, three years to be exact. I don't know everything that he's done, but still. He's a good pokemon, though I wouldn't tell him that if I were you. He's sorta convinced he's a bad 'mon due to some events in his past. Heck, one of his other nicknames is Demon," he answered.

She blinked in surprise. Then she smiled slightly. "Well, I think that I would like to meet this umbreon that's such a good friend of yours," she said happily. Tal grinned at her, before jerking his head in the direction of Haven. Then they walked, side by side, towards the Pub.

As they walked, Tal turned his thoughts to the beautiful flareon walking next to him a smile on her face. More importantly, to his thoughts and feelings about her. What had started as him trying to cheer up a sad looking pokemon, had turned into him falling for her. Hard. As he stared at her out of the corner of his eye, noticing that her smile appeared to be genuine, he felt another twinge in his chest. _I wonder if I'll ever be able to tell you how I feel about you,_ he thought wistfully. But, he didn't let any of his internal thoughts show, keeping an easy grin on his face.

He briefly wondered if she did, or even could feel the same way about him. He knew that he got attached very easily, but it just wasn't something that he could help. It was in his blood. He decided that, whatever happened to them in the future, he'd at least always be able to count on her to be a friend. Or at least he hoped anyway.

As they walked through Haven's gates, which were now much sturdier looking, though still made of wood, Tal took a moment to admire how far their little village had come. It was starting to look like a proper city, albeit a small one, and slowly at that. He supposed that having so many able-bodied workers around helped things move along considerably. It was a lot more than he had ever hoped for when they first left the other civilizations and secluded themselves.

Making their way down the main street of Haven, Tal turned a brief thought to how other townships and cities were doing with the plague. While it had only been about a year since they first left Forn, he knew that the plague had been running rampant in the world for a good three years before that. Thinking about Forn, however, had the effect of him thinking about Lura.

For whatever reason, he still loved her. More so than he did Zero, in any case. Since she had left, he found that he was missing her, and everything about her. He sighed sadly as they walked through the door into Cook's Pub, heading towards their usual seats. _It's almost her birthday again,_ he thought with another sad sigh. Then he chuckled and shook himself. _Ah, but she's happy now! And besides, I found Aileen because of that! I'm not entirely sure that I would have noticed her as much had Lura been here. Or Zero for that matter. Though, I'm thinking that I might care for Aileen more than him…_

Just thinking about his own thoughts and emotions had his head spinning, wondering if Aileen felt anything towards him. And if so, was it really him? Or was it the personality that he had borrowed from Zero? If so, could he rightfully ask her to be his mate, when she didn't even know the real him? Would it even be fair for her? For him? He didn't know. And the more he thought about it, the more he wondered.

"Tal?" he heard a sweet voice call, bringing him from his thoughts. He shook his head vigorously, and then smiled at Aileen.

"Yes?" he asked.

Aileen frowned at him. "You didn't respond when I talked to you earlier. What's on your mind?" she asked softly.

Tal hesitated, as he tapped their table with a paw anxiously. _Should I tell her now? Or should I wait?_

He hesitated only a little more, before he finally made up his mind. Steeling himself, he looked at Aileen attentively, trying to find the words to express his thoughts.

"Aileen… what are your thoughts on… well, on me?" he asked.

She frowned at him, clearly not understanding his question as he meant it. "Well, you're a very sweet guy, which is something that I love about you. You're always trying to cheer me up, even buying me things just to try to get me to smile. I think that's really sweet of you as well. Overall, you're a great guy, and I'm happy to call you my friend," she replied with a smile.

Tal found that he couldn't speak again. Then he sighed deeply, and looked at her with a slight smile. "Aileen… what if I told you that I-," he was cut off by angry shouting coming from halfway across the room.

"I already told you, filthy human, I'm not interested!" a feminine voice shouted at the waiter, who was looking embarrassed.

"Miss Braixen, I'm sorry, I'm just following the owner's rules! He doesn't want customers who aren't buying to sit in here, that leaves less space for paying customers. If you don't want anything, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," the man told her, sounding a little hesitant.

Tal saw the braixen's eyes flood with despair. "But… I don't have any money…" she said sadly.

"I'm sorry Miss, but then I'm going to have to ask you to leave," he replied.

Tal saw her eyes flash with anger now. "And what if I don't want to leave? What are you going to do? Force me out?" she snarled.

Tal quickly looked at Aileen, who was already looking at him with a questioning gaze. He shrugged, and then hopped off his chair to walk over to the arguing pair. "Excuse me you two!" he called to them.

They both immediately turned to look at him, the braixen with suspicion in her eyes, and the waiter with relief in his. Tal smiled at both of them.

"If she would like, she can sit with us, I don't mind paying for another," he told them cheerfully, pointing a paw over to where Aileen was sitting. She waved at them with a paw.

The braixen still stared at him, though the suspicion was fading from her gaze to turn into a look of gratitude. She nodded once, before hopping off of her chair and walking over to one of the two remaining chairs at their table, where she greeted Aileen, and sat down. As she was walking, Tal almost had to do a double take upon seeing her tail. Her tail tip was blue instead of red. Then he turned to the waiter again.

"That work?" he asked.

The waiter nodded with a smile, and then walked over to the bar to talk with the man manning it. Tal shook his head with a grin, and walked back over to the table to join Aileen and the newly met braixen.

"So, what's your name?" he asked her.

She stared at him for a little bit, but then shook herself. Then she grinned at him. "The name's Lucille! Pleasure to meet you!" she exclaimed, holding out a paw to him.

Tal blinked in confusion, and then lightly poked her paw with his. She frowned at him. "Have you never heard of a hand shake, or paw shake in this case?" she questioned. Tal blushed as he understood, and then placed his paw in hers, where they both gripped and shook paws.

Lucille then turned to look at Aileen. "So, who are you two then?"

Aileen giggled softly. "Well, my name is Aileen, and his is Tal," she told the braixen.

Lucille grinned, and turned back to Tal. "Well, thank you, Tal! I… I really don't have any money…" she said, trailing off. Tal laughed.

"It's all good! I can cover you easily," he told her cheerfully. Then he frowned. "Uh, if you don't mind me asking… where is that you're staying?"

Lucille shifted uncomfortably. "Around," she said shortly.

Tal raised an eyebrow. "If you need a place to stay, my house has an extra room that you can have, at least for a while," he said with a smile.

Her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to speak, before closing it again. Then she nodded mutely. Tal's smile widened.

Over the next hour, Tal learned very little about the braixen. One thing that he could say definitely, however, was that she had a fiery attitude, which amused him to no end. He could see himself getting along with her, as she seemed able to at least keep up with his energy. That was the only downside to being as talkative and energetic as he was. But, he was getting better with it.

After they had all eaten their fill, Tal led them all to his house, which was humble, but then again, so was a lot of Haven. His house was only recently completed, just a week or so earlier, and so far, he was loving it. Rio still lived with him, though he wasn't always home. In fact, it seemed that he was only home at night, otherwise he was out doing who knows what. Tal assumed that he was with Stephen and Betty, but he couldn't really tell.

Regardless, Tal loved his home. It had three rooms, and one living room, with a kitchen as well. And best of all, it was his. Though he obviously couldn't use the kitchen like bipeds could, but it was still nice to have. Plus, it kept Rio happy.

Once they had reached it, he stopped and turned to Lucille. "Well, here we are! Make yourself at home! Your room will be the first door on the right as you enter. It has a bed, already made, as well as a couple shelves. Oh, and it has a nightstand as well! Personalize it as you want, you can consider it yours for as long as you might need. I'll be walking this lovely pokemon right here home, and then I'll be back," he told the braixen, who nodded her gratitude, before she disappeared into the house. Then he turned to smile at Aileen, who was blushing again.

"Well, Miss Lovely, shall we?" he asked, gesturing with a paw. She nodded with a smile, though she was still blushing.

Another thing that Tal could be thankful for, was that she lived relatively close to him. It meant that he could visit her anytime he wanted, though he made sure that he wasn't bothering her at all. So, the walk to her home was silent.

As they approached her little hut, Tal again wondered if he would ever be able to tell her how he felt about her. Hell, he was still trying to work up the courage to ask her to move in and live with him. Although, now that Lucille was in that extra room, she would have to sleep with him, which he wouldn't ask her to do until he knew if she returned his affections or not.

He looked at her smiling face longingly, before he sighed and looked at the ground. _If only I was actually as outgoing as I have been acting around her…_

"Thanks for the great day again, Tal! I enjoyed it immensely. But…" Aileen started saying, before her voice trailed off uncertainly. Tal glanced at her with a small smile.

"You can ask me anything, I'm not going to judge you for that," he told her gently.

She smiled at him gratefully. "Well, I was curious what you were trying to tell me earlier today, before Lucille," she said hopefully.

Tal felt his gut clench as he was brought back to that moment. _Well, here's my chance again._ He opened his mouth to speak, but cut himself off quietly as he stared at the ground. Then he sighed, and shook his head. "It's… it's nothing, just a silly question," he told her eventually.

He heard her pad up to him, before she nosed his cheek gently. "Now I'm going to return what you told me, mister. You can ask me anything, I'm not going to judge you," she breathed into his ear.

Tal suddenly felt very warm, as he kept his gaze on the ground. Then he sighed again, and looked up at her with a smile. "Well, I suppose you're right. Well, here goes," he said. Then he took a deep breath, and continued. "I… I was going to ask you, what if I told you that I… loved… you?" he asked, blushing furiously.

He saw her gaze widen in shock, as she inhaled sharply. Then she blushed deeply, and looked at her paws. She waved one in a circle, apparently searching for an answer. "Then… I would say…" she said, before she looked up with a small smile. "That I love you too," she finished.

Immediately, Tal felt a wave of happiness flow through him. He beamed at her brightly, and was about to speak, before he cut himself off again. Then he frowned, and looked at the ground. "But… but what if I told you that… that I may not be who you think I am?" he asked sadly.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

He breathed deeply again. "Well, you see… I'm not exactly as confident, or even as charming as I am around you. I… well, I suppose you could say that I borrowed that to try and cheer you up when we first met…" he replied, trailing off.

He waited for her to curse him, to hate him, to yell at him. To do anything to signify that she was disgusted with him. He was not prepared, however, when she giggled at him.

"Tal, I knew that. No pokemon is truly that at ease, charming or flirty around stranger pokemon. So, I was just waiting to know you more, and eventually your true personality will come out. Which, it did. And I think that I love that even more about you," she told him happily.

Tal's jaw dropped. Then he shook himself. "You mean, you knew?" he asked in disbelief.

She nodded with a smile. "Yes, I knew."

He grinned at her. "Whew! That's a relief, let me tell you! Although, you are actually mistaken about something," he told her.

She frowned at him. "What do you mean?" she asked.

He smiled at her slightly. "Well, you said no pokemon is truly that charming, flirty, or at ease around stranger pokemon. I told you that I borrowed that, right? Well, I borrowed it from my friend, Zero. That's how he actually is," he said.

Her eyes widened slightly, before she frowned some more. "Are you sure about that?" she asked.

This time, it was Tal's turn to frown. "What do you mean?"

She hesitated. "Well, what I mean is, do you really know your friend as well as you think? To me, it sounds like he's hiding something. Like… I don't know. Maybe he's hurting inside? Or maybe he's just broken? I don't want you to question how good your friendship is at all, I'm just curious about this…" she said, blushing brightly.

Tal chuckled lightly. "No, you could be right. I guess we won't know unless we ask him, now wont we?" he replied cheerfully.

Her blush cleared a little, and she smiled at him gratefully again. Tal looked at the sky, and smiled to himself brightly. "Well, I suppose I should probably get going home," he said regretfully. He looked at Aileen again, and saw that she was staring at the ground, blushing brighter than he had ever seen her.

"You… you don't have to go quite yet…" she mumbled, still staring at the ground.

Tal frowned at her. "Why is that? Did you want us to do something else today? I suppose we could go for a walk if you'd like," he said, slightly confused.

Her blush deepened, if that were possible. "W-well, w-what I w-wanted to do, w-we would have t-to do somewhere... private," she stammered out. Tal's eyes widened slightly. Then he smiled, and kissed the top of her head.

"If you want to do that now, then we can. Or, if you aren't ready yet, we can wait," he told her gently.

She looked at him, eyes filled with an emotion that he couldn't establish. "I'm ready now," she told him. Tal smiled at her gently.

"Then lead the way," he said. She nodded, with a very small blush, and turned around to walk into her hut, with her future mate right behind her.

 **[POV: Unknown]**

Silence. Nothing. Then sound, followed by a rush of air. Wind. He opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was the clear blue sky, with a couple clouds filling it here and there. He took a moment to admire how fluffy they looked. Almost the perfect cloud. Then he frowned, and slowly sat up to take in his surroundings. Immediately, he gasped.

 _What the hell,_ he thought. _This doesn't look like home. Wait, home? Where's that?_

He was in the middle of an expanse of rolling hills, covered in dry grass, with wind whistling through their blades. To his right, he could see what appeared to be a road, though it was like no road he had seen before. In the distance, he could see what looked like a medieval city, with high stone walls, and what appeared to be a drawbridge. Now, that alone was impressive. But, there was something that almost ruined the image, filling him with a sense of despair.

There was a thick plume of black smoke coming from the city, deep and black, leaving him with the feeling that something awful had happened. He shook his head, and rubbed his eyes to try and clear them. When he pulled away his hands, let out a short squeak of shock. He had paws.

They were a cream color, and seemed to be rather small. "What!" he exclaimed, before glancing down at his body, and turning around to look at the rest of his body, feeling a brief wave of panic flowing through him as he stared. He wasn't a human. He didn't know what he was.

He had short fur, with the front half of his body being a cream color, and the back part of him being a blueish color. He let out another squeak of surprise. And then he leapt forward as he saw a burst of flame appear behind him. He turned around quickly, feeling something bang against his chest as he did so. He frowned. There was nothing behind him, though some of the grass looked a bit scorched. He unconsciously leaned forward, catching himself with his front paws as he did so, and walked towards it, sniffing furiously. All he could smell was smoke and grass.

He frowned, and then looked down at where he had felt something bang on his chest. His frown deepened, as he pawed at the necklace hanging from around her neck. It was a clear purple gemstone, that looked like amethyst, with a small, round stone in the center of it. _Pretty,_ he thought. Then he looked over his neck at his back again. _What am I?_

' _Quilava,'_ a masculine, yet gentle voice spoke in his head.

His eyes widened. _Quilava? What's a quilava?_

' _It's what you are. A pokemon, known as a quilava,'_ that same voice in his head spoke. He frowned.

 _Why am I a quilava? And where am I?_

' _You're in a territory call Norovia, just on the outskirts of Nor, actually. If I were you, I wouldn't stay around for too long either.'_

His face contorted into a look of confusion. _And where should I go? Where_ can _I go?_

' _Go north. You need not worry, I will guide you and keep you safe.'_

 _Who are you? What are you?_

' _I am known as many things, but you can call me Nydum. As for what I am, I suppose you can call me a guide. Not my actual species name, but it functions for now. You'll learn more about me as we go, just like you'll learn more about yourself.'_

 _Nydum? Well, Nydum, why am I here?_

' _That's something that you'll find out as you go.'_

He snorted. _That's all? Just that?_

' _Yes.'_

He frowned. _So, are you the only of your species?_

' _No I am not.'_

 _How many of you are there then?_

' _Many. And that's all that you need to know. Now, I would get moving if I were you. Oh, and stay away from Nor, which is that smoking city over there.'_

He turned to gaze at what he now knew to be Nor. It made him sad, as well as more than a little curious as to what happened. He looked up at the sky, and saw that the sun was almost directly overhead. He frowned again.

 _Which way is north,_ he wondered?

' _Facing the city, it will be directly to your left.'_

 _Oh. Thanks._

With that in mind, he turned to his left, and started walking. As he walked, he took in even more of his surroundings, wondering where on earth he was. Then he frowned once more.

He couldn't remember anything before waking up a few minutes earlier. He knew he used to be a human, and that was it. He couldn't definitively say how he knew things that he did, he just knew. Which, confused him.

 _Nydum? Why don't I remember anything?_

He waited patiently for an answer, but none came. He sighed sadly, and then looked up towards the horizon, and continued walking.

 **[POV: Artul]**

"Alright, you can stop now," Derrick told him. Immediately, Artul stopped everything he was doing, and began to pant furiously. He raised his head to look at the target he was currently trying to shock, and let a slight grin out. _Bullseye,_ he thought.

Then he sat down. It was hard to generate a huge amount of electricity for an extended period of time. Especially after running around a sand pit at top speed for three hours. Then add on that you're not in the body that you grew up in. Fun stuff, really.

Then Artul frowned, as he turned to Derrick. "Sir, why are we stopping? It's only been six hours," he questioned. The old luxray smiled at him.

"Because you have a visitor," he told him, gesturing to the room's entrance. Artul frowned some more, then turned to see who it was.

Needless to say, he was surprised to see Via, the espeon, sitting at the entrance patiently, waving a paw at him cutely with a small smile on her face.

"Greetings, Artul!" she greeted cheerfully. Artul smiled slightly.

"Hello," he returned. Then he frowned. "What do you want?"

She beamed at him. "Well, I know that you have been here for a little over two weeks, and was curious if you'd had time to see all that the Dark Army had to offer?"

He hesitated for a moment, and then shrugged. "No, not really. Just been here, the sparring arena, your cave area and our sleeping wing. Why?" he asked.

"Well, I could show you around a bit more if you'd like," she told him.

He hesitated again. Then he smiled softly, and shrugged. "Sure," he said. She smiled brightly, and then got to her paws, gesturing with a flick of her tail for him to follow her. As he passed Derrick, the old luxray dipped his head to him, and winked, which caused Artul to blush slightly. Then he shook himself, and followed Via out of the room.

She took a right down the main hall, away from her cavern area, and towards what he knew to be the entrance. "Well, I figured that it might be nice for you to first relax a bit, so I'll take you to the hot springs first!" she exclaimed cheerfully, glancing back at him with her bright green eyes. Artul smiled at her again, and nodded.

She giggled lightly. "You know, you can talk, right? There's no rule banning speech. And if you're worried about offending a potential superior, then don't. I'm not one to get offended," she told him, smiling.

Artul frowned slightly, before smiling as well. "It's not that I feel pressured into not talking, it's just that I don't have a whole lot to say," he replied. Then he hesitated. "Though, I must admit, you seem different than when we first met. Why is that?" he questioned.

She nodded once, still smiling, as she turned to face in front of her. "When I'm on duty, I'm always a lot more formal. But, I can't stand being so stiff and uptight all the time! So, I relax a bit when I'm in my free time. Well, I relax a lot I suppose," she replied, looking at the ceiling thoughtfully. Then she shrugged, and smiled at him. "That's not a problem, is it?"

He shook his head vigorously. "No, it's no problem at all! Although, that raises another question. You aren't working right now?"

She shook her head. "Nope! It's my day off!"

Artul blinked. "Then… how come you wanted to spend the day with me?"

She giggled, and playfully swatted him with her tail. "Because, silly! You intrigue me! I know the majority of everyone in the Dark Army's future. Yet, I can't see anything about you, or Wolfe, or Kage. But, I was also curious about you specifically, just because you seem to be so lost… I hope I'm not intruding or anything," she told him, now frowning slightly. He smiled slightly, and shook his head.

"No, you aren't intruding at all. I was just a little surprised that so beau-… so important of a pokemon was interested in me," he said, blushing slightly.

She giggled again, before sighing unhappily. "Yeah, I suppose that would seem kind of strange, now wouldn't it? Well, to completely honest, me being so important is a big reason as to why I decided to talk to you. You see… I don't exactly have a whole lot of friends due to my role. And… I'm a very young pokemon in the grand scheme of things. I'm only 16, after all," she said, glancing at him again.

"But, when we first met, and I, admittedly wrongly, accused Wolfe of being the cause of the plague, you alone stepped up in my defense. In doing so, I… well, I saw that you were to be someone of importance in the future. For whatever reason, I couldn't see how or why, at least not very clearly, but I know that you will be crucial in the events to follow. In that, well, I suppose I saw a kindred spirit. You're also one who is awfully young to have to carry so large a burden on your shoulders, and I thought that, perhaps, we could be… friends?"

Artul's eyes widened in shock. Then he shook himself, and frowned. "But I thought you just said that you couldn't tell anything about mine, Wolfe's or Kage's future? How could you see mine?" he asked.

She smiled slightly, before facing in front of her once more. "Well, I'm not sure. Before that, I hadn't. After that, I still haven't. Perhaps how your important involves me in some way, which I suppose could make sense, as I do get glimpses of my future every now and then. For instance, I know that I will live well beyond what would be a normal lifespan, because I've seen myself in a shining future, surrounded by blurry images. In this future, there are metal wagon things that move without any force pushing or pulling against it. There are giant metal birds, as well as huge cities, so clean and neat that it appears as though one of the legendaries must have created them, though I get the sense that it was not them. I see all these things, and I'm in every single one of them, with a few more scars than I'd like, but still. I always look so young, yet I get the sense that I am so old as well. It's… confusing, to say the least," she said thoughtfully. Then she shook herself, and continued, saying, "But, to answer your question, your future could involve me somehow. But, I do not know, and will not know, until that point arrives. Which, from my best guesses, will be in about six years."

Artul's eyes widened significantly as he came to a stop, though she kept walking. _Cars! She saw cars! And airplanes, and I'm guessing skyscrapers!_ He shook his head, and smiled at the back of her head slightly. _Well, you've given me a new hope, Via._

Then he shook himself again as he realized that he was falling behind rather quickly. He began to run after her, not realizing that he had paused in amazement for over a minute. He saw Via disappear into a cave entrance where he had noticed steam coming from when they had first arrived. So, it appeared that his initial guess had been correct, and it was a spa of sorts. As she rounded that corner, Artul was hot on her heels… only to collide with her rear as she apparently halted, sending the two of them sprawling. Somehow, Via ended up standing on top of him, giggling.

Artul blushed deeply. "Uhm, oops," he said. She giggled again, and gently placed a paw on his nose.

"Watch where you're going!" she chided cheerfully. Artul nodded, still blushing. She hopped off of him, and walked down the entryway that apparently led to the hot springs, with her tail swish rhythmically from side to side. Artul got to his paws, and walked after her, although slower this time. He quickly saw why she had halted.

The entire cave area was packed with humans and pokemon of all kinds, so many that Artul instantly got slightly uncomfortable. He came to a stop as Via began to slow down, looking thoughtful. Then she shrugged, and began to weave her way through the crowd, stopping for a minute to signal for Artul to follow her. He grudgingly nodded, and began doing as she was, and made his way through the huge crowd, making sure to keep Via's forked tail in sight as he did so.

After what seemed to be forever, the crowd finally began to thin, to the point where he could make out Via's body. He followed her as she made her way over to the left side of the entryway. She slowed down a bit for him to catch up.

"There was actually a lot of thought and planning put into this particular area, and we used a lot of ground and water types to make it how it is. Essentially, it's divided into three areas. There is the commons cool area, which will be down another tunnel that splits off to the right. Everyone shares that, it's essentially a large underground pond. Straight ahead is the commons hot pool, which, again, everyone shares. It's a warmer version of the cool area. And then, over to our left, is the private areas. There are, in total, 32 rooms that are completely secluded from each other, each one with a smaller, much smaller, version of the commons hot pool. This is where we are headed, as I'm not one for large crowds. This place is very popular, for obvious reasons. But, Duke expects the best, and he gives the best, in his own words. All of the water areas are monitored by water types to keep clean, as well as to make sure no one drowns. Which, hasn't happened, thankfully. Someone came close once, though the water types on duty were quick to rescue him," she told him loudly, so as to be heard over the roar of the crowd.

Artul thought that it was very similar to how water parks in his old world were, what with the monitoring and the noise and what not. It still made him uncomfortable, however. So, he was glad that they were going to the private areas. He just hoped that they weren't all taken.

As she led the way down another tunnel, he quickly noticed that there were doors on either side of him, with a fifteen-foot gap in between them. He also noticed that on each door was a set of little hanging rocks, one red and one blue. He guessed that these signified if a room was open or not, with the lower one possibly meaning which one it was. He frowned, as he noticed that they nearly all had the red one hanging lowest, all except the one at the very end on the left.

Via had spotted it as well, and was making a beeline towards it. Right as she was about to reach it, the door suddenly opened, and an umbreon stepped out, tugging on the red stone gently. Via came to an immediate halt, and sighed, turning to look at Artul who was now frowning. Then the umbreon spotted them, and its face lit up.

"Oh, hey you two! Were you wanting to use a private room?" Wolfe asked cheerfully. Via turned back to him, and nodded.

"Yes, yes we were. Sorry, we won't bother you. We'll find another one," she told him formally, avoiding eye contact. Wolfe raised an eyebrow at her, and then chuckled.

"Nonsense, I would hate to turn such a beautiful 'mon away! Besides, I haven't seen Artul in a while, so why don't you two join Lura and I? The rooms plenty big enough, and the more the merrier as they say!" he laughed, gesturing with a paw.

Via hesitated again, and looked like she was about to decline, when a familiar blue pokemon's head poked out of the room, underneath Wolfe.

"Who is it?" Lura asked curiously. Then her eyes brightened upon seeing them. "Oh, Via! And Artul! Are you guy's joining us? Please!" she begged, with a bright smile.

Via giggled lightly, and turned to look at Artul. "Well, it's up to you I suppose," she said with a smile.

Artul shrugged, and gestured for her to walk in. Lura let out a happy squeal, and ducked back into the room. Shortly afterwards, they heard a shriek, followed by a splash. Wolfe peeked back into the room, and shook his head, chuckling. Then he turned back towards the approaching pair.

"She fell into the water," he told them, as he held the door open for them to enter. Via giggled as she passed him, and Artul couldn't hold back a smile either as he entered the private room.

Inside, he saw that Lura had indeed, fallen into the hot springs, where she was now sitting and giggling softly. "Yeah, I probably should have been more careful," she giggled.

"Probably just a bit, love," Wolfe told her with a grin. She closed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. Wolfe chuckled, then suddenly disappeared, before reappearing in front of Lura, where he immediately kissed her. Lura let out a soft squeak as her eyes shot open. Then she faintly giggled, and closed them again.

Artul blushed slightly at the show of affection, and turned to look at Via, who was staring at Wolfe in shock. Then she blinked, and turned to face Artul. "Well, this is a private room. They're very nice for when you don't want to be surrounded by hundreds of other people or pokemon. Which, I personally am not a fan of," she told him, acting surprisingly formal again.

Artul nodded, though he was now frowning. "Yeah, I don't like crowds much either," he replied.

"Well, while I don't mind crowds, I wanted to be more alone with this naughty little vappy here," Wolfe cut in, causing Artul and Via to both face him and Lura, who was currently blushing slightly. Then Wolfe gestured for them to enter the water. "Well, don't just stand there! We're all friends here, and Via, you can relax. I'm not one to hold a grudge, nor am I one to be so petty as to start arguments where there are none. No, today I simply want to relax, and enjoy."

Via smiled at him gratefully, and then elegantly waded into the small pool, with Artul a few steps behind her. As soon as his paws touched the warm water, he sighed blissfully. _Yeah, I needed this_ , he thought happily.

He noticed that the water progressively got deeper the further out you went, though he also noticed that it couldn't get that deep, as the pool was only about six meters long, and four meters long. He also saw that that there was a clearly visible bench along its sides. _Just like in my world,_ he thought as he made his way over to the side, with Via joining him.

"He's a rather playful mercenary, isn't he?" she asked him quietly, flicking an ear at Wolfe, who turned to look at her with a wide grin.

"Why yes hon, I am rather playful! If you'd like, we can go someplace quieter after this and I can show you exactly how 'fun' I can be," he told her, complete with a suggestive wink. Via and Artul both blushed, and Artul found that he was actually getting rather irritated with Wolfe.

Before either of them could say anything, Wolfe held up a paw with a laugh. "Relax you two, that was a joke. I'm sticking right by Lura today, and Cordina tomorrow. So, calm down, Artul. I'm not stealing your girlfriend from you," he laughed. Artul immediately blushed even deeper, though he did relax.

He briefly wondered why he had the reaction that he did. He didn't have any personal attachment to Via, did he? No, that was stupid. He barely even knew the gal.

Lura giggled, breaking through his thoughts. "They're red like tamato berries!" she squealed happily. Wolfe instantly turned his grinning gaze to her. Slowly, he began to approach her.

"Oh, so they're like tamato berries now, are they? Well, what if I were to do this?" he murmured to her, as she gazed at him confusedly. Then Artul heard her squeak and saw her face flush a deep purple as she blushed. Artul tilted his head at her in confusion as she began to pant softly.

Finally, she squealed, and then leapt at Wolfe, tackling him under the water, with his loud laughter being cut off as his head was submerged. He turned to Via with a questioning gaze, only to freeze at her shocked and blushing face. He poked her lightly with a paw, which caused her to squeak and leap away from him. As her blushing face met his quizzical one, Artul noticed that she was rather pretty, though he already knew that he supposed.

"What was that about?" he asked, flicking an ear at the two pokemon who were currently wrestling underwater in the deeper end.

She blinked at him in amazement. Then she shook herself and laughed gently. "You really have no clue, do you?" she questioned. He blinked, and then shook his head. She laughed, and then shook her head. "Don't worry about it then," she giggled.

He hesitated, and then shrugged, turning to look at the two pokemon again, who were now holding each other as they kissed. _I wonder if I'll ever have a relationship like that?_

He couldn't answer.

He made small talk with Via, as well as Lura and Wolfe when they finally resurfaced about five minutes after they had initially gone under. When they broke the water's surface, Artul briefly wondered why they remained hugging for so long, but eventually decided that it was probably just something that mates did.

As he sat in the hot springs, letting all the tension soak out of his body, he couldn't help but realize something.

He couldn't remember the last time that he was as happy as he was right now.

* * *

 **And FIN! Woot!**

 **Alright, soooo, couple things. One, I'd greatly appreciate it if no one mentioned what I talked about in the earlier AN. Just… take it in and absorb it. Talk amongst yourselves if you'd like, but… just not to me, alright?**

 **Another thing is… Aurumn is getting sick :'(. Been feeling miserable these past few hours that I've been writing.**

 **Third thing is, there is about to be yet ANOTHER story released involving either these characters or this world :p. For those of you that want to see this same story told through the eyes of another, then the story called** _ **"**_ _ **Temna,**_ _ **"**_ **by cadenceheart117 will be the read for you XD. It'll be following a recently introduced character, (Temna :p) from birth, to present, where he will be keeping up with this story! Personally, I am super excited for this, but that could just be me. Doubt it though! It is not currently out yet, but it should be released in the near future!**

 **Fourth thing, 30 FOLLOWERS! WOOT! Thank you to every single one of you that have followed or favorited my story, it means a LOT to me! But, don't think the ones that haven't followed or favorited, yet still read my story consistently, have been forgotten! A serious thanks to you all as well! But still, 30! Woot!**

 **And the final thing, it involves a new Poll on my profile! This will be for a bonus lemon at the end of next chapter, after the final A/N. You'll have only 3 options though, which will be listed in the Poll's info :p. I know which one** _ **I**_ **personally want to see, buuutttt… I leave it to you!**

 **I'm going to apologize once again for how delayed this chapter was :(. I'm looking forward to the next couple ones though! Hell, I look forward to all of the chapters XD. Well, releasing them anyway. I love how people react to them! Although, I do wish more flaws were pointed out :/. Literally have received only one PM about improvements (Not counting WolvenRepublic, he gets golden treatment). Well, I suppose that I could be that great of a writer XD. But, in all seriousness, I doubt it lol. Well, who am I to complain if people like my story? To that, I say thank you all!**

 **Well, that's all, folks! I hope you all enjoyed, and let me know your thoughts! That said, I'll see you all next chapter!**

 **-A very, very, very, happy and slightly ill Aurumn**


	23. Chapter 22: Pride

**A/N: Hey all, Aurumn here! Surprise! I'm back! For good this time, lmao. Well, until I need another break. Essentially, I kept forcing myself to sit down and write… and got nowhere. So, I decided to try not thinking about my story for a while, and 'poof!' I'm motivated again!**

 **Soooo… I was going to apologize for the long absence, and I still probably will, but think about it this way. I wrote a 187,000 word story, in under 3 months. What that means: I put a literal fuck ton of time into this story lmao. So, I feel like I deserved a break. But, I do apologize (see, there it is) for it being so long :/. Well, regardless, I'm back!**

 **Alright, so a few things to make mention of. One, my sister who I mentioned in my update chapter (removed as of the 8th) successfully had her baby, though he was premature. And he's so tiny. Like, way.**

 **Two, I have uploaded a second story, involving one of the characters in this story, whom a lot of people like. Like, she is liked a lot. Like, it's crazy. And if I say "like" like that one more time, I'll go crazy. Like, it's bad. (DOH!)**

 **Sorry, I rambled lol. I hope at least a few of you missed my rambling XD. I'm like that older but still active Social Studies teacher that just gets lost in a topic, but everyone enjoys it anyway. Like right there.**

 **And now to the part in the A/N where I complain… why do my little nieces, nephews, cousins and family friend's kids like to use me as a jungle gym? Their absolute favorite thing for me to do, is for me to show off. Which means: bench-pressing little kids, doing pushups with three of them standing on you, picking them up and spinning them around, running while giving them piggy back rides, attempting to show them how to do clapping pushups (dear lord that was funny. Picture many 4-10 year olds trying to clap in between pushups, and falling flat on their faces. Repeatedly. Am I horrible for laughing at them?), giving countless 'airplane' rides, getting punched in the stomach (what is that attraction with little kids? I never did that. Yet every single one of them thought it was the coolest thing ever. *punch* "Did that hurt?" "No." *punch* "How about that?" "No." *punch punch*), playing countless games of tag, hide and seek and dear lord I can go on forever. I certainly don't want kids, but apparently, I'm great with them. So, it's Aurumn the jungle gym. *halfheartedly cheers* Yayyy.**

 **Yeah, I rambled again. Oh well, y'all love it and you know it. Now then, the oh so important Poll results are in. Answers are: y'all are funny XD. Ah well, I'll leave it up still, as there's nothing to really vote on. So, just that little Poll till the end of times… meh.**

 **STOP RAMBLING! In my defense, it's 5 am and I've been up for a rather absurdly long time. Again. Oh well, I have the next few days off. So, onto the chapter! Also should note that I've decided not to include the lemon in this chapter, at least for now. I would rather write the actual chapter as opposed to the bonus lemon, especially when there will be one next chapter anyway. Anycase, I hope you all enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Aurumn does not own Pokemon or any of its affiliates. He does, however, own his OC's and the story he has put them in, unless stated otherwise.**

* * *

 **[POV: Gale]**

 _ **{Be strong, my Champion. I will have need of your abilities soon, and I fear that you will not be ready.}**_

She raised her head blearily, checking around the room immediately. Then she sighed, and buried her face in her paws, feeling her body throb in rhythm with her latest torments. _He's not here,_ she thought, sighing with relief. Then she groaned and struggled to her feet, legs shaking unsteadily. She made her way towards the door unsteadily.

 _I had hoped that maybe things would have changed him… but I suppose I always think that, and it has yet to happen._

She sighed pitifully again as she exited their room. Well, his room. She just didn't have one of her own as of yet.

Once outside, she paused for a minute to think. _Where should I go? I definitely don't want to stay here…,_ she thought. She briefly considered going to find Wolfe, but decided that that wouldn't be a good idea. Chances are, he'd ask her questions that were better left unasked. She lowered her head and sighed. Then she started to blindly walk down the main hall of the base, towards the bases entrance.

 _Will he ever change? Will_ I _ever change?_

She didn't have an answer.

She was so lost in thought and her own misery, that she didn't notice when someone called after her. She also didn't notice when a few people started walking beside her, as she just kept her head lowered, and her thoughts on her life. She didn't notice, that is, until she reached the blocked exit, which was manned by a gardevoir whose job was to open and close the entrance.

"Where are you three headed?" the gardevoir asked.

Gale snapped out of her stupor, and quickly looked around her to see who it was that the gardevoir was addressing. She let out a slight smile upon seeing who it was.

"Just going out for a little walk to enjoy the weather. Also to just cool down a little. Those private rooms in the pool area are mighty nice, but _very_ hot," Wolfe answered for them cheerfully.

Lura hummed in agreement, smiling brightly. The gardevoir shrugged its shoulders, and then turned to the door.

"Alright, be careful out there. Heard some rumors circulating that bandits have been spotted in the area," it told them, before its eyes glowed and the wall that served as a door entrance began to move, eventually allowing them to see into the outside. The trio quickly nodded their thanks, and exited the base.

Outside, Gale noticed that the sun was actually quite high in the sky, and guessed that she had been out for a lot longer than she had intended to be. She couldn't help but frown a little as she remembered why she had been doing so in the first place.

 _Him,_ she mentally spat.

"Looks like it's going to rain soon," Wolfe said suddenly, breaking the silence as they walked with no particular destination in mind. Gale frowned, and then looked at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

He flicked his tail towards the east. She turned her gaze towards where he had directed, and saw a mass of dark clouds building. She blinked in surprise. _How did I miss that,_ she wondered? She sighed sadly and returned her gaze to her paws.

"So, you're Hail, right?" Lura asked her. Gale nodded, and glance at her.

"Yes, though that is a nickname of sorts. My real name is Gale Valentine. You can just call me Gale though," she replied with a soft smile. Lura beamed at her.

"Well, my name is Lura!" she exclaimed cheerfully, before stumbling on tree root that was sticking out of the ground. Before she could fall, however, Wolfe easily caught her with a paw and a laugh.

"Careful there, love! Don't want you to injure yourself now," Wolfe chuckled.

Lura blushed, and giggled. "Oops! I really don't know what's up with me, I'm never usually this careless," she told Gale. Gale chuckled quietly.

"It's alright, Lura. We all have our off days, so it's no big deal," she excused her. Lura smiled at her brightly again.

"So, what can you tell me about yourself?" Lura asked her. Gale nodded once, then sighed.

"Well, not a whole lot I suppose. Has he," she flicked a tail at Wolfe, who chuckled, "told you anything about me yet?"

Lura shrugged with a smile. "Sure he has, he's spoken about you a lot! Mostly about how distracting you are when you have hiccups. He also told me that you used to be a mercenary, though that was as far as that conversation got before we decided to go to the hot pool area…" she replied, before trailing off with a blush forming.

Gale looked at her quizzically. Then she shrugged, and giggled. "I think that half of our mission was filled with him flirting, and the other half with him getting distracted by me," she laughed. Lura giggled cutely.

"Yeah, that sounds like him! To be honest, I'm surprised that nothing 'fun' happened while you were both gone. He's awfully upfront about that," Lura said.

Immediately, Gale blushed, her white fur turning a deep crimson, as Wolfe laughed openly. Lura blinked in confusion, shifting her gaze from the blushing vulpix and the laughing umbreon. Then her expression cleared as she caught on, where she giggled again.

"Oh. Oh, I see. So, you two did have some 'fun'!" she smiled.

Gale shifted her tails uncomfortably. Then she nodded mutely, blush still very present and visible.

"Yes love, yes we did. You wouldn't _believe_ how fast she said yes. I couldn't sleep, she was so persistent! I think she's in love with me if I'm honest," Wolfe laughed.

Gale glared at him, as Lura giggled again. "Somehow, I doubt that's how it actually happened. Although, I do know that people fall in love with you rather easily, so that might be true," Lura said cheekily, grinning at Gale.

Gale turned her glare to Lura. "No! He just did something for me, which no one had done before. So, I caved, alright?" she huffed.

She giggled. "We're just teasing you, you can relax," she told her.

Gale pouted. "Well that wasn't very nice."

Wolfe snorted. "You should be used to it hon, if you're going to stick around me at all," he told her with a wink.

Gale frowned. "Who's to say that I'm going to be sticking around you?" she challenged.

Wolfe stared at her seriously. "I do."

She blushed, and then looked away. "Maybe," she said shortly. Then she shook herself. "Now, where exactly are we heading?"

Wolfe shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know, I was just following you," he said passively.

Gale blinked. Then she huffed in annoyance. "Fine, I know where we're going."

Lura giggled. "Lead the way!" she exclaimed cheerfully, pausing to gesture with a paw.

Wolfe only chuckled, as Gale pulled ahead of them.

They walked for a short while, with Wolfe making the occasional ignored quip. Gale found that she was strangely enjoying their walk. She hadn't done anything as calm as this in a long time.

Finally, they reached their destination, which was actually on top of the Dark Army's base. Gale heard Lura let out a quick gasp of awe as they sat down on cliff's edge.

"It's beautiful!" she gasped.

Wolfe hummed in agreement. Gale kept her silence, instead enjoying the view.

For as far as they could see towards the south, there was nothing but mountain after mountain. If she looked to the west, she could just barely catch a glimpse of a huge expanse of water glinting in the distance between the mountains. If she were to look east, she would see where she and Wolfe had recently returned from. And to their north… Memoria.

 _And directly overhead, there are some serious storm clouds gathering,_ she noticed with amusement.

"Gale?" Wolfe asked suddenly.

She turned her gaze to him. "Yes?" she questioned.

"Do you mind if we talk in private for a moment?"

She hesitated. "Uh… sure, I don't mind."

He nodded, and then flicked his tail away from Lura, before walking in that direction himself. Gale followed, although she was a bit hesitant. Lura waved her finned tail at them distractedly.

"You two go have fun, I'm just going to…" she trailed off and went back to gaping at the view. Gale heard Wolfe chuckle in amusement.

"Arceus I love her," he whispered to himself, though Gale heard him. Inside, she felt a jolt of pain. _I doubt anyone has ever or will ever say that about me._

Wolfe's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Knock it off," he ordered.

She flinched. "What do you mean?"

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Your self-pitying."

She flinched again, and turned her gaze onto the ground in front of her. "I don't understand what you mean," she mumbled.

He stopped, and then sat down before turning to face her. She paused as well, though she didn't sit down. Wolfe growled angrily, causing her to shoot a shocked glance at him.

"Gale, are you going to tell me what's wrong? Or do I have to do something to get you to spill? And don't tell me nothing, or that it's none of my business, or that I wouldn't understand. Just… tell me. How can I help you if I don't know the problem? I can't. So come on hon, tell me," he said sternly, glaring at her.

She stared at him, fighting herself on whether or not to tell him. Finally, she let out a loud sob and rushed at him, where he put his fore legs around her, pulling her close.

"Oh Aurumn! I don't know what to do! I want to tell you, I do, it's just that I don't know how you can help! And… and I'm scared… I just don't know!" she wailed.

She numbly felt Wolfe start to stroke her gently with his tail, too wrapped up in her own inner-turmoil.

"Just tell me," he murmured softly.

She buried her face into his chest and didn't answer. She dimly heard him sigh, and then felt his grip tighten on her, until she could feel him holding her firmly… yet she found that it was very comforting.

"Whatever is wrong, I can help you. Trust me hon. I can," he whispered.

Slowly but surely, her sobs grew more and more controlled, until she was quiet, sniffling every now and again.

But, she still didn't say anything.

She heard Wolfe sigh. "Just tell me if my suspicions are correct. Does your boyfriend _hurt_ you?" he asked her.

She flinched. Wolfe growled softly. "That's what I figured," he snorted angrily.

Gale pulled away from him and stared at him wide eyed, tears still in them. "Don't," she whispered.

He glared at her. "No, Gale. I'm not just going to 'don't'. I don't have much respect for a man who would abuse someone's trust like that. He's supposed to be there to protect you!"

She looked at the ground miserably. Even as she did so, the first rain drop from the skies fell to the ground in front of her. "Please don't try to help me, you'll only make things worse," she muttered sadly.

"Not if he's out of your life," he growled.

She shook her head and raised her gaze to his, eyes pleading. "Please don't kill him," she begged.

Wolfe shook his head gruffly. "It sounds to me like he deserves it. But, fine. I won't. I don't understand why though. Who is it?"

She sighed, and pawed at the ground. "It's-," she was cut off by the sound of a lightning strike nearby, followed by a loud yelp.

Then there was another lightning strike, followed by another yelp. It sounded like some pokemon was terrified, and under attack. Gale's ears pricked towards the sound, as did Wolfe's.

They exchanged glances with each other, before looking back towards the direction they came, as well as where the yelps were coming from. Then they started sprinting towards the sounds.

 **[POV: Artul]**

"And this is the exit!" Via exclaimed cheerfully, guiding Artul through the open doorway. She turned her head back to look at him and smiled. "The doors are open for a half hour once a day, though it's usually a little later. I'm guessing some other soldiers wanted to go outside, so the gatekeeper probably decided to just leave it open. Which suits our purposes just fine!"

Artul nodded at her, not having the heart to tell her that he already knew that. She was just way too adorable about it.

Once outside, Artul immediately took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air immensely. He had been cooped up inside of the Dark Army's base for over a week, and the air started to smell stale after a while. It also didn't hurt that it was a lot cooler outside, especially after their visit to the hot springs.

"So, this is the outside! Though I'm fairly certain that you already knew that. I don't know about you, but I think that it smells great out here, especially after being inside the base for a while. It's… unfortunate that duties often don't allow me to be outside very often," Via told him, as they approached the tree line, which was around 20 meters from the base's entrance.

"You seem to have a lot of duties… isn't there anyone else capable of your position?" Artul asked her.

She shook her head. "No, I'm the only psychic type in the Dark Army that has received any premonitions or sightings of the future. So, that leaves me. But, I guess I don't mind a whole lot. I mean, I get a lot of respect!" she said cheerfully, though Artul thought he saw something else flash in her eyes.

But, he decided that it wasn't his business to pry. If she wanted to talk, then she would talk. But… he had to admit that he was worried about her. She seemed to be so sad underneath all of her cheerful exterior. Although she also seemed to be very cheerful at the same time. It was rather disconcerting.

Via looked behind her, then suddenly stopped, and began to blush furiously. Artul stopped as well, and stared at her quizzically. He noticed that she was staring directly towards the Dark Army's base. He turned to follow her gaze.

At first, he was confused. Then he spotted a familiar vaporeon sitting on top of the cliff that formed the Dark Army's base's entrance. Then he was even more confused.

 _Does she like girls,_ he wondered? _Or is she blushing because she saw them kissing while in the same room as them?_

He didn't have an immediate answer. The thought that she was interested in girls as opposed to men made him feel… sad, for some reason. Now, he wouldn't think any less of her if that was her preference. No, that did bother him. It just made him feel disappointed.

He lightly poked her with his paws so as to get his attention. Via jumped, and then shook herself and looked at him.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Are you… attracted to girls?" he asked cautiously, ear flicking uncomfortably.

Her eyes widened slightly, and she shook her head vehemently. "No, no I am not. Why do you ask?"

He pointed a paw at Lura. Even from this distance, Artul could still see a large smile on her face as she gazed out over them. Via followed his paw, and then looked back at him. "Er… I'm confused. Because you saw Lura, you thought that I was gay?" she asked with a giggle.

Artul began to blush slightly. "No! I just… You were… I mean…" he broke off, not being able to finish his sentence. He sighed and shook his head. "Never mind."

Via frowned at him, then shrugged. "Well, I suppose that you don't need to tell me if you don't want to," she said with a smile.

Artul returned her smile, and then glanced up at the cloudy sky. "Should we stay out for much longer? It looks like it might rain soon," he asked.

Via followed his gaze, then shrugged. "A little rain never hurt anyone. So, I say that we stay out as long as we can."

He lowered his gaze to look at her. "Well, what did you want to do out here?" he questioned.

She beamed at him. "Well, I was won-," she started, before cutting herself off with a gasp. Then she bolted past the stunned jolteon, and made her over to the tree line. Specifically, towards a clump of bushes decorated with pink flowers.

"They're so pretty!" she exclaimed. Artul tilted his head in confusion as the eager espeon started to sniff them deeply.

"Er… they're flowers. Aren't they supposed to be pretty?" he questioned confusedly.

Via turned to glare at him halfheartedly. "Yes, but I can still enjoy them, now can't I?"

Artul blinked rapidly. "Of course, of course! But what makes these flowers so pretty to you?" he said hurriedly.

Via giggled lightly. "Because pink is my favorite color of course!" she smiled.

He flicked an ear thoughtfully. "Is that because you yourself are pink? Or-," he broke off with a startled yelp as his surroundings were lit by a blinding light, followed by a deafening crack of thunder. Artul blinked in surprise, partially blinded by the brightness. He shook his head to clear it, and then gaze to his right.

A lightning bolt had struck almost exactly on top of him, missing him by a hair. He gulped audibly. "Well, that was random. And lucky," he said shakily.

He looked at Via, who appeared to be holding back a fit of laughter. She opened her mouth to speak to him, but he never got a chance to hear her, as another bolt of lightning crashed right next to him. He let out another startled yelp, which was cut off as another bolt of lightning struck near him, this time almost directly on him.

Artul panicked, and started to sprint rapidly towards whatever shelter he could find, with the lightning seemingly following him, striking him or the ground near him, each time causing him to run faster, as well as to yelp in pure terror. He thought that nature itself was now out to get him, bringing down upon him the power of the heavens.

Finally, he found his way into the safety that was the Dark Army's headquarters. There he stood, standing in the middle of the entrance under the protection of thirty feet of solid rock, staring out into the now pouring rain in horror. He waited for another lightning bolt to crash down in front of him. But… it never came.

Instead, he heard the sounds of hysterical laughter coming from just outside the entrance. He blinked in confusion, worried that someone had lost their mind. That was when he realized that there were four voices out there.

As he thought and processed this, four figures made their way through the pouring rain and into the shelter of the bases entrance. There he saw that they were Wolfe, Lura, Gale, and… Via. He frowned at them.

"Why are you all laughing! I nearly died! And how come none of you got struck by lightning? She's even wearing a metal piece of armor!" he shouted, pointing a paw at Gale.

Wolfe, Gale and Lura were laughing too hard to answer him, and Via wasn't that far behind them. Artul huffed in annoyance, and turned his back on them quickly. "Fine! Next time you all almost die, I won't cry or be worried, I'll laugh," he muttered moodily.

Finally, he heard them get their laughter under control, until Via began to speak to him.

"Artul, you weren't in any danger," she laughed. Artul blinked in shock, then snapped his head around to stare at her.

"What do you mean I wasn't in any danger! I almost got struck by lightning!" he exclaimed.

This time, Wolfe answered him. "Actually, you were struck directly a few times. Artul, you know what a lightning rod is, don't you?" he questioned, obviously trying hard not to laugh. Artul nodded, almost glaring at him.

"That's your ability. Lightning Rod," he deadpanned. Then they all burst into laughter again, leaving a stunned jolteon to just stare at them, before he too slowly began to laugh.

 **[POV: Cordina]**

"Mama, watch me!"

"No, watch me ma!"

Cordina smiled brightly to herself as she watched hers and Lura's kits play with each other, taking turns jumping off of their bed and onto a pile of blankets. They were so adorable, it made her heart ache just watching them.

While most people or pokemon that weren't part of the eeveelution family often struggled with picking out identifying features of a eevee kit, which would help them identify who their parents were, Cordina or any other eeveelution member had no such difficulties.

She could clearly see that Malik was an exceptionally good looking kit, with evidence of him being Wolfe's son shown clearly in his body figure and shape, as well as in his face, such as the bridge of his nose. But there were also obvious signs of him being her son as well, such as the fact that his pelt was an unusual color compared to most, which made her immensely proud. She could tell just by looking at him that he would lead a warrior's lifestyle.

And then there was Keaira. She was an absolute angel, having about her an air of grace, as well as one that radiated calmness. That is, when she wasn't riled up. Dear Arceus did that kit have a temper. She also was a very beautiful eevee, though that didn't surprise her one bit. While Cordina may have been the more physically attractive of the two, something about Lura just made Cordina think that she was by far the more attractive one, although she knew that wasn't physically the case. It only made sense that Lura's offspring held the same qualities about her, especially with Wolfe as the father.

The two kits had picked up early on that Cordina and Lura had special relationships to the both of them, and the kits saw them both as their mothers, with Wolfe as the obvious father. And she loved them each the same, as though they were both her own, even as she knew that Lura felt the same way.

And obviously Wolfe did as well.

Cordina was brought back from her thoughts as she heard a knock at their door, which also drew the two 'vee's attention.

"Come in!" they yelled in unison.

Cordina smiled and shook her head at the two as the door opened to reveal a familiar furret, one who usually got on Cordina's nerves, but she was too relaxed to care right now.

"Oh, hello Iris. What do you want?" she asked.

Iris beamed at her. "I just stopped by to visit you, Cory darling, as well as to see your kit!" she said cheerfully, making her way over to Cordina.

Cordina smiled brightly back at her. "Well, that's fine by me! Malik, Keaira, come meet Iris," she told the two kits. They exchanged looks, and then scampered towards Cordina and Iris.

There, they sat and waved their paws cutely at the furret, who cooed at them gently.

"Awh, they're so cute! Which one's the slut's?" Iris asked cheerfully. Cordina glared at her.

"Language, Iris. And I don't think you need to know that answer, as I know you'd treat them different," Cordina growled.

Keaira looked at Cordina quizzically. "Mommy, what's a slut?" she asked sweetly. Cordina sighed, and massaged her forehead with a paw.

"Nothing you need to know about yet sweetheart. Aunty Iris is being naughty and using bad language around you two, language that you should never repeat to anyone, least of all to your father," she answered. Keaira stared at her wide eyed, before nodding and turning to look at Iris.

Iris smiled at the two kits. "Well, regardless, they're both insanely adorable," she complimented. The kits beamed at her with their eyes closed, before they bolted away to go back to their game, causing Cordina and Iris to laugh together.

"It's hard to believe that one of them came from something as ugly as that vaporeon," Iris muttered to Cordina quietly. Cordina sighed.

"Iris, will you please stop insulting one of my mates? She hasn't done anything to you. Point in fact, she barely even knows you, let alone you knowing her," Cordina told her.

Iris stared at her steadily. "But she has done something to me. She's clouded your eyes from who you should really be with," she replied.

Cordina rolled her eyes. "She has done nothing of the sort, and I am with the one's that I should be with. They love me and I love them," she retorted.

"I'm sure you don't love them that much. How can you love a boy anyway?"

Cordina smiled evilly. "Very easily. If you'd like, I can tell you in great detail what I love about him, all the way down to the most private of details," she said, winking at the furret.

Iris huffed, and made a gagging sound. "No thanks, I'm good dear. But you know, you could still be with the one that you should rightfully be with, if only for a short time," she returned suggestively.

Cordina rolled her eyes, and went back to watching the kits. "Not going to happen Iris, now please stop asking."

"Sorry darling, but I know that you would enjoy it. But, I'm not going to force you to anything that you don't want to do. Just think about it is all I ask," Iris said. Cordina sighed, and then turned to look at her.

"Fine, I'll think about it. Now, can you leave please?"

Iris smiled at her brightly. "Of course dear, anything for you! I'll talk to you later!"

With that, she turned and started walking out towards the door, swaying her hips suggestively as went. Right before she exited, she looked over her shoulder and winked at Cordina. Then she disappeared, leaving Cordina to roll her eyes.

"She walked funny mama," Malik said, staring after the furret with his nose twitching curiously. Then he turned look at Keaira. "I think we should walk like that! It looked cool!" he exclaimed. Keaira agreed with a little cheer.

Then the two started walking around the room, their hips swaying in a very adultlike manner. Cordina groaned, and then face-pawed. Hard.

Before she could get them to stop, she heard the door open, and in walked Wolfe, Lura and Gale, chatting together quietly. They all stopped as soon as they saw how the two kits were walking.

"Daddy, momma! Look how we're walking! Isn't it awesome?!" Keaira and Malik shouted.

Gale and Lura started giggle softly as Wolfe sighed and shook his head. Then he glared at Cordina good naturedly. "You're starting them on this awfully young, aren't you?" he asked teasingly.

She slammed her head into the floor and groaned. "Iris," she said shortly.

A collection of 'oh's filled the room followed by laughter.

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

"You're going to have to tell me at some point, you know that right?" he asked Gale quietly as they made their way towards the interrogation room. Duke had asked them to oversee part of the interrogation of their captive, the glaceon that is known as Temna. It was the day after their excursion out of the base, early morning to be exact, and Wolfe was anxious to get this over with. The sooner they were done, the sooner he could get back to his mates and kits.

"Maybe, but not now. There are more pressing things to deal with," she hissed back. Wolfe rolled his eyes, and flicked her shoulder with his tail.

"Sure, but afterwards we're talking, alright?"

She huffed in annoyance. "Fine, we can talk afterwards. Maybe," she said, glaring at him slightly out of the corner of her eye.

He shook his head in annoyance, though he let the matter drop for now. He then sighed. "Why does Duke want us there anyway? We aren't exactly professional interrogators you know," he muttered mutinously.

Gale swatted him with her tails. "We were the ones to bring him back. He figured that we might be able to intimidate him, if only slightly. A nervous opponent is a malleable opponent."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know that. Still, wouldn't it make more sense if I was human? That's how I was when I beat him, and he was unconscious for all of the trip home."

"Sure, but then he might get aggressive again. We were sent as we are, now deal with it. And quit complaining," she chastised.

"No~," he whined, pawing at Gale's shoulder like a kit. Gale's nose twitched. Then she started to giggle.

"You really are something, you know that right?" she asked. He grinned at her.

"Oh, believe me hon, I know. If you'd like, we can ditch for a moment and I can remind you just how much of something I am," he purred seductively, rubbing against her gently. She turned her head to glare at him. Then she batted him with her paw once.

"Down boy. There isn't enough time," she replied. He frowned at her.

"I'm sure that we can be late 20 seconds," he challenged. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"20 seconds? If I remember right, it was much longer than that last time."

He shrugged. "What, I was holding back. Although there would be the problem of you and walking," he mused, staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully. Then he sighed sadly and looked at the ground. "Fine, I suppose that it would be a bad idea. But I still plan on collecting on that promise of yours," he told her with a wink.

She blushed, and then swatted him with her tails again. "Bad," she said shortly, before staring straight in front of her with a huff.

He laughed lightly, and focused on the corridor in front of them, watching the soldiers of the Dark Army as they passed by. He smiled to himself as he saw a group of three, one human, a weavile and an emolga. The emolga was currently perched on the human's head, humming cheerfully. The human was obviously displeased with the small pokemon's antics.

"Freya, get off," he heard the human mutter.

"Nope!" the emolga, Freya, chirped. The human sighed again.

"Why in Arceus' name does a ditto have to be so fond of such an annoying way of travelling?" the man complained bitterly. Then the group was past them, and Wolfe heard no more, though the conversation already made his day a good one.

"Well, that was amusing," he laughed.

Gale giggled, and nodded. "I would agree, yes."

Wolfe started humming happily, certain that this day promised to be a good one. As if to confirm that, Gale joined him, much to his surprise. He didn't think that she knew the tune, or that she would join him even if she had known it.

Eventually, they reached the prisoner containment area, where they stopped humming and became businesslike. Via was already waiting outside of one of the cells, waiting for them. Once they were close enough, she bowed her head in greeting.

"Greetings," she said.

Wolfe waved a paw dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, hello and all that jazz. What, no hug?" he asked.

Via stared at him impassively. "I figured that she had already given you one," she said, pointing a paw at Gale. Wolfe immediately turned to her.

"Yeah, about that. How come you didn't give me a hug? Am I suddenly unhuggable?" he asked in a hurt voice.

She rolled her eyes. "Great, Via. Now you've gone and given him ideas," she muttered, glaring at the espeon, who giggled.

"Well, my apologies, but no hugs for now. Business and only business, that's the situation here. Now, are you two ready?" the espeon asked.

Wolfe frowned, and then sat down, pouting. "No. I didn't get my morning hug yet. I'm not moving until I get it," he proclaimed.

Via and Gale groaned in agony. Via turned to the ice fox. "Is he always like this?" she asked in disbelief. Gale massaged her head with a paw.

"Oh, you have no idea," she muttered. Then she sighed, and quickly wrapped a forepaw around Wolfe as best she could, before breaking away. Wolfe beamed at them.

"Alright, we can go now!" he exclaimed, leaping to his paws and padding towards the door.

"You're like a child, I swear," Gale muttered, though there was some amusement in her voice. He flicked her nose with his tail gently as he passed.

Via shook herself, and then turned towards the door, which glowed purple for a moment before opening. Then she walked in, a purple glowing bucket floating behind her. Wolfe tilted his head at it.

"What's the bucket for?" he asked. Via ignored him, instead flicking her twin tail tips for them to enter. Once they did so, the door shut behind them, leaving them in the cell with an unconscious glaceon.

 _Well, I suppose that answers the question about the bucket,_ he laughed mentally.

"Give me a moment while I take some precautions," Via told them, before approaching the glaceon's still form. Wolfe turned to Gale.

"So, about that promise," he said cheerfully. She shook her head in amusement, though she did look slightly pained.

"There is the small matter of my boyfriend you know," she replied. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, that didn't stop you when we were in the field, now did it, 'sis'?" he grinned. She blushed slightly, and then shook herself.

"That was a slightly different situation you know. First off, we were alone. Secondly, there was no chance of him finding out," she retorted.

Wolfe grinned. "Technically, we weren't alone."

She rolled her eyes again. "Yes, Bill the pervy pikachu was there, but he's dead now, so that point is irrelevant. For all intents and purposes, we were alone."

He frowned. "But we still had a witness, one who we barely knew," he reasoned.

She swatted his nose with her paw. "Irrelevant. Dead now."

His nose twitched furiously for a minute. Then he opened his mouth to speak, but cut himself off as they heard a splash of water, followed by a spluttering sound. Then there was the clanking of chains moving.

"Don't bother. I'm limiting your abilities so you can't 'freeze your way out'," Via said, drawing Gale and Wolfe's attention. Wolfe grinned widely as he approached him.

"Well, I see you woke him up!" he exclaimed brightly. He turned his attention to Via. "So, you're limiting his abilities? To what extent?" he asked her.

She smiled at him. "Yes, I'm limiting his abilities. He can't use any of his 'powers', so to speak, until I allow him to. It's fairly handy, especially in situations like this," she said modestly.

Wolfe gave a low whistle of appreciation. "Damn, that's certainly impressive," he complimented. Via glared at him.

"Can you not flirt right now?" she begged. Wolfe frowned.

"But I wasn't flirting," he said confusedly.

"Wolfe?!" a male voice suddenly exclaimed. Wolfe snapped his gaze towards their captive. His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"How is it that you know my name, but I've never heard the name Temna before?" he asked suspiciously.

The glaceon stared at him, stunned. "How are you a pokemon? I thought you were a human!"

Wolfe blinked. "Well, surprise, surprise. I'm special. Now, you never told me how you recognized me."

Temna stared at him impassively. "You're voice."

Wolfe sighed, and rubbed his forehead. "Alright, whatever. You know me, I don't know you. We've established that. Now then, will you answer our questions for you?"

The glaceon shrugged. "Not much I can tell you if it's about the Memories. I'm a mercenary, they hired me, simple as that," he replied dismissively. Wolfe raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, just answer our questions to the best of your abilities, how about that?"

Temna shrugged. "Shoot," he said.

"Alright, where was that Memory encampments destination?"

"Nor," came the short answer. Wolfe shrugged.

"Easy enough I suppose. Why was Nor their destination?"

The glaceon shrugged. "Beats me, I just marched where I was told."

"Fair enough. Alright then, do you have any idea whatsoever about Memoria's plans?"

Again, Temna shrugged. "Not really. I assume that they want to gain control of the other territories, though I'm sure you've already gathered that much by now. Do you mind if I ask you a question now?"

Wolfe shrugged. "You just did, and the answer is: it depends on the question. Now, what was your relation to Crux?"

"To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of him. But, we were put on the same squad, so there's not much that I can say about that. Alright, how can you turn into a pokemon or human?"

"Pass. Now then, is there any information that you can give me that would help us out here in any way?"

The glaceon huffed in annoyance, as Gale giggled quietly. "Not a whole lot. My main task was in capturing or subduing you two, although we were brought into the mix rather late. Before that, I was on mostly recon missions, scouting the land and spotting potential threats. Occasionally they would send me and my squad up against some random enemy forces, but that was really it. I was kept away from any important meetings due to the fact that I was merely a mercenary, and not an actual soldier."

Wolfe nodded understandingly. "Alright then, how do you know who I am?"

Temna eyed him, a slight smirk appearing on his face. "Pass."

Gale sighed painfully as she turned to Via. "I have a feeling that it's going to be a long day," she muttered pitifully. Via hummed in agreement.

 **[POV: Lura]**

Lura watched the two kits sleep, adoring the way that they slept. She smiled brightly to herself, as she turned to gaze at Cordina, who was also sleeping.

Unfortunately, she had woken up after Wolfe had left, though she figured that he couldn't have been gone long. Regardless, it was still sad to not feel him wrapped around her whenever she woke up. It felt like she had barely any time with him at all recently, which was also something that she wasn't a fan of.

She turned her gaze to the other sleeping eevee in the room, this one pure white with a black collar. She smiled again. Nova had stopped by right before they had gone to sleep, and asked to spend some time with the kits, as well as with her and Cordina of course. But, Lura knew that she was mostly here to see the kits.

She still found it heartbreaking that Nova was barren. She obviously had so much love for kids. It seemed like such a waste for someone to say that she couldn't have the thing that she wanted most. Lura wished that she could somehow help.

But, she knew that was an impossibility. After all, she was simply a vaporeon, with now special abilities at all.

She sighed sadly at where her thoughts were going. She wished that Wolfe was here for her to talk to. Then she blinked as a thought struck her. She could talk to Wolfe. But… she didn't want to bother him if he was busy… she sighed, and decided to talk to him anyway. The worst he would do would be to tell her that he was busy.

' _Wolfe?'_ she sent tentatively.

' _Yes love?'_ came the immediate response. Lura smiled brightly again.

' _Are you busy right now?'_

' _I'm never too busy to talk to you, you should know that. What's on your mind?'_

This was where she hesitated. Then she sighed, and decided to speak anyway. _'Well… it's about Nova and Kage. More specifically, Nova being barren. Do you know how that happened?'_

There was a pause. Then, _'I have my suspicions, but I don't know anything for certain. Why? Is it because of Nova stopping by last night?'_

' _Yes and no. It's more about me feeling bad about her not being able to have kids. I feel like such a horrible pokemon for having one, when she can't,'_ she sent, almost crying now.

' _Lura love, you are not a horrible pokemon. You're not horrible at all. You're the sweetest, gentlest and most caring pokemon that I know, or have ever known. Just the fact that you're thinking about this now, when most would be focused on their own kids, proves that. You're a wonderful pokemon Lura. That's a big reason as to why I love you so much.'_

Lura sniffled once. Then she sighed and buried her face in her paws. _'I wish you were here right now,'_ she said.

"You could have just asked, love. I would have been here immediately," Wolfe said from behind her. She felt a warmth press against her back, and she immediately snuggled into him as hard as she could.

"I thought you were interrogating someone," she whispered. She felt him nuzzle her head, as she started to relax.

"Lura love, you are so much more important than anything I could be doing right now. Whenever you need me, or even want me, I will be there for you. No matter what I am doing, or where I am. Just tell me you need me or want me, and I'll be there," he whispered to her. She felt a glow of happiness fill her, as she murred happily. She turned her head so that she was looking at him, and immediately found his lips place over hers as he kissed her, which she returned gently.

Then they broke away and he smiled at her. "Do you feel better?" he asked. She nodded happily.

Then her thoughts returned to Nova, and she immediately felt sad again. She sighed. "I just wish that there was something that we could do for her," she said sadly. She felt him kiss her forehead gently.

"Does this really mean that much to you?" he asked. She nodded.

He sighed then, before rotating himself so that he was in front of her. "Well, there is something you could do, though I'm not entirely sure that it's the best of ideas," he told her. She perked her head up immediately.

"What is it?" she begged.

He frowned. "Before I answer that, I have to ask you a question. How would you feel if you were to get pregnant again?"

She blinked, not expecting that at all. Then she frowned as well. "Well, I wouldn't be opposed. I would want to know why you want another one though, when we already have two."

He smiled at her sadly. Then he took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "There is something you have to know about us love. You see… you can't get pregnant by me again. It's physically impossible, no matter how hard we try," he said gently. Lura's eyes widened in shock.

"What?! Why not?! What happened?" she asked rapidly. He hushed her gently with a kiss. Then he broke away and spoke again.

"It's part of my mark, something that I wasn't aware of until recently. I can only have one kit with someone that I've marked. Any other person, there is no limit. But, with me, there is only one," he answered her. She blinked at him, and almost began to cry again.

Then another thought struck her. "So wait, why did you ask how I would feel if I got pregnant, if you can't get me pregnant? Do you know a way around that?" she asked hopefully.

He shook his head sadly. "No, love. There is no way around it that I know of. We just have to be happy with what we have. But, the reason why I asked you that, is because you can help Nova. Have you ever heard of something called a surrogate mother?"

* * *

 **AND DONE! THE UBER DUPER LONG AWAITED CHAPPIE… IS DONE!**

 **Alright, got that out of my system. I literally wrote a chapter for 2 different stories in the same 12 hours. Holy fuck sticks am I tired. BUT I DID IT!**

 **You can all send your praises and applause and kisses now, I'll accept them all.**

 **Alright, so maybe don't go that far XD. My apologies for the month delay, but I needed a break lmao. We are one step closer to 200,000 words though! Woot!**

 **You guys have no idea, absolutely no idea, how stoked I am to get this chapter out finally. It's been bothering me, for literally a month. But, then I didn't think about it at all for like, a week, and suddenly I'm motivated again! So yeah, there's that.**

 **Hopefully this will reaffirm that I am NOT EVER abandoning this story. Point in fact, I'm going to try and set myself a schedule, and release my next chapter next Tuesday. That is the goal, ladies and gents!**

… **I have no clue what else I should include.**

 **Banana Hammock.**

 **Yeah, that just about sums it up. Sorry, I'm a little delirious right now, and am in desperate need of some nicotine in my system. And probable some Vitamin Z's. (That means sleep btw)**

 **Alright, the deranged Aurumn is going to get this chapter up and out before he totally collapses. Sounds great, right?**

 **-Aurumn (SWEET MOTHER OF SUGAR TITS, THAT FEELS SO GOOD TO TYPE FOR THIS STORY AGAIN! HERE'S ANOTHER ONE JUST FOR GOOD MEASURE!)**

 **-Aurumn**


	24. Chapter 23: Pain

**A/N: Hey all, Aurumn here. Well then, that turned into quite the delay. It's been what, 3 months? I bet some of you had given up all hope that I would get back into writing. For a while, I thought that I might too, though I would hate that enormously. But, lo and behold, I'm not!**

 **Many things contributed to this delay, and it seemed that each time I got the motivation back to write, something else happened. And then my motivation went back to jack shit. Again. But, I'm slowly but surely coming back.**

 **I think a large portion of this delay is because of how much I've been scheduled to work, as well as going from evenings to mornings. I'm a night owl, and I love to be up till the sun rises. It's also when I get the most writing done. But, I got moved to mornings to help my manager out as he trained a new 2nd assistant manager. However… now I'm back to mostly evenings again it seems! I have 1 morning shift this entire schedule, and I believe that's next Friday. Soooo…. I can write at night again!**

 **Only a few other things to mention. One, the beginning POV in this chapter… well, I'll save that for the end, now won't I?**

 **I've also abandoned the idea of a consistent schedule, at least for now anyway. So, sporadic Aurumn is back without pretense!**

* * *

 **[POV: Nova]**

 _ **[What exactly is your end game?]**_

 _ **{Your success.}**_

She awoke with a start. Breathing hard, she looked around the room. Not feeling the normal warmth of Kage sleeping next to her, she was confused as to why. However, with a quiet 'oh,' she gazed into the dark room. She saw Wolfe, Lura, and Cordina sleeping soundly on the bed. She tried to slowly stand, but stopped herself upon feeling a couple of fluff balls move around her form. She stopped moving so as not to wake the kits that had decided to sleep next to her.

She couldn't help but smile down to them as their sides slowly rose and fell, but with a sad sigh she looked away. She had stayed the whole day here, and fell asleep after playing with the kits. She couldn't help but think of all the things she will be missing out on in life, but she had grown used to the idea that it just wasn't meant to be.

Looking around the room again, she thought jokingly, _Stupid underground base, how do they tell time down here?_ Then she looked back to the kits again. With another sigh, she leaned back down to whisper into Keaira's ear, who happened to be sleeping the closest. "Shh, breathe, in and out," she repeated, until Keaira's breathing had matched her words. With a smile she leaned a little closer. "Shh, stand and move to your brother please," she spoke quietly. She watched as Keaira groggily stood, and, with a few sways, slowly walked over to her brother before snuggling into his side and falling asleep again. With another sigh she stood carefully before jumping off the comfy chair and onto the hard stone floor.

Leaving the room ever so quietly, she gave a victorious sigh once outside in the lit hall. Looking to her right, she saw hers and Kage's room. Walking over, she was about to enter but stopped when she saw a large group of people walking and talking down the main hall, with Via being among them. Looking back and forth from her room and the hall of people, she decided she had gotten enough sleep and walked over to the hall.

Once at the hall entry she looked down to the left to see Duke leading a group of humans and pokemon down the hall and into a room. After Duke had entered, she began walking down the hall as well. Once outside the door, she noticed it was just a basic wooden door that was cracked open.

She looked left and right down both sides of the hall to see if anyone was watching her, only to see no one. She lightly pushed the door open before slipping into the dark room and putting the door back to its original position. Looking around the room, which was cone shaped, she saw that Duke and a random soldier were standing at the bottom next to a large table, as well as the side being almost like benches that wrapped along the sides of the cone. Doing a quick scan of the people, she found Via on the other side of the room near the top of all the rows of benches.

Walking around the circular room while watching the center, she watched as the soldier was given a scenario, where he had five hundred troops and was tasked to defend a village from an enemy force with unknown numbers, only to fail miserably. By the time he was done getting embarrassed at his obvious lack of experience in the art of giving commands, I had gotten right behind where Via was sitting. She sat down next to her, causing the espeon to jump at her sudden appearance. As the espeon glanced over her shoulder, she noticed Via's eyes widen at her presence.

"What are you doing here!" Via quietly yelled to her. Looking at her, she could see her obvious worry.

"What? Am I not allowed to be here?" she asked while looking back to the center, to see another soldier step up to the table, who was given the same scenario.

"No! This is a private room for people with potential talent in strategy!" Via whispered with a yell while leaning closer.

"Don't worry, I won't make a scene," she said as the new soldier failed as well. With an inward sigh, Via looked back to the middle again as well.

"Yes you will," Via foretold, but continued to watch. One by one, all the soldiers took their place next to the table, and only after a few would Duke change the scenario.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. It works. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Finally Duke seemed to be getting annoyed at his soldiers' lack of expertise. "You have got to be kidding me?" he started. "ONE! One of you passed… and barely. He lost 80% of his force. THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE!" Duke yelled to his troops.

"YES SIR!" they yelled back in obedience. With an angry huff, Sir. Dick looked up to where Via was sitting before his face dropped. He looked at the one next to her angrily.

"And why are you here? This is a War Room! I know you probably don't know what that is, but… it is NOT a place for visitors," Duke said angrily while glaring at her. She only laughed at his remark.

"Right~, I~ don't belong here," she said while adding inflections with a shake of her head. "You were right though," she said quietly to Via next to her, who stifled a laugh.

"ENOUGH!" the absol yelled. "I will not be belittled by a civilian who thinks she is better at something she knows nothing about," he continued bitterly.

Nova stood up with a crack of her neck. "Fine, give me a scenario then," she challenged, earning a few long 'o's from his people. He hesitated, before going into a thoughtful pose. She walked down slowly, as to give him time to work the small kinks in his head.

"Fine," Duke said, followed by a scowl of anger. Turning back to the table he wiped all existing pieces away. She stopped at the bottom of the tall table, only to look back to Via, who nodded and used psychic to lift her up and onto the table. "I will give you something easy then. You're in a canyon, so it's either go through your enemy, or retreat. One hundred on one hundred," Duke stated with a smirk.

"Describe my army," she asked in deep thought, as murmurs sounded around the room. As well as many asking how they didn't think of asking that.

With a chuckle and grin, Duke looked her up and down. "You have a few heavy hitters. Such as a few rampardos, gravelers, and charizards." he explained. She gave a short laugh.

"Gravelers use earthquake to loosen rocks and boulders in the canyon walls. The rampardos then headbutt the canyon walls, which should break any outlying sediment. Then the charizards use dragon rage above the enemy. Voila! Fight over, go over them. Next?" she asked while sweeping all pieces away from the field. With a surprised look, Duke sighed.

"Okay, scenario two…" Duke said, and of course she beat it in seconds. Then he gave a third, then a fourth, and then a fifth. Each one she beat in seconds or minutes, and with zero casualties. "Okay, okay…" he started with a defeated tone while looking to the ground. "What is your name?" he asked dropping most of his alpha attitude, only for it to be replaced with a vexed one.

"Nova, nice to formally meet you," she greeted with a small bow of her head, trying to act formal.

"You arrived with Wolfe and the rest, right?" Duke asked while giving a paw gesture for troop dismissal.

"That I did," she answered as the whole room started to empty, while Via made her way down slowly.

"You another of Wolfe's mates?" Duke questioned pompously. She glared at him.

"No, I am mates with Kage," she corrected with a scowl, still standing atop the table.

"Be offended if you must, but Wolfe is the type to have multiple mates, so it was a valid question," Duke justified himself with a roll of his eyes, only to earn another glare from her.

"What is your problem?" she started, before Duke stood aggressively just as Via arrived at the pair. "Does Luna not put out or something? Or are you always this big of a dick?" she glaringly asked while standing, ready to dodge anything he had to throw at her.

"I will do and act as I please. This is MY base after all." Duke took another aggressive step toward the table. Via got up in between Duke and the table while placing a paw on his chest.

"Whoa, whoa let's all just calm down. Sir, you cannot deny her gift in this department. So there is no need to feel like the way you are," Via said suggestively. "And Nova, there is no need for those kind of comments," Via remarked while looking to her. With a small intake of breath, she looked to the exit.

"Fine, I will leave the situation. Just remember Duke," she started while jumping carefully down to the stone floor as she earned his attention. "You didn't hire me," she finished while walking to the exit.

Pushing through the door, she walked into the near empty hall, and leaned against the wall, shaking with anxiety. With a grunt, "I don't know how much longer I could have kept that up," she quietly spoke to herself. She pushed away from the wall with an alarmed jump as the door to the War Room was pushed open angrily, followed by Duke walking out. Not even casting an eye in her direction, he walked away. Just as she was about to turn away and return to her room, Via walked out from the room.

"Was that really necessary? You all make him twitchy already," Via said, while trying to hold back a small smile.

"Come on, I know you want to smile," Nova returned, while adding a large smile. "But he does need to cool off. Has he always been like that?" she asked, dropping her smile.

"For the most part yes, though it did get worse when Cordina returned with child," Via explained while rubbing the side of her head. "But boy, does he have a tongue on him," Via said while nodding her head slightly, only to get a raised eyebrow in response, which caused Via to gain a confused look. Then she blushed deeply after a few seconds. "Not like that, I meant that he could talk forever about his problems," Via elucidated quickly.

"I don't really want to hear about his problems," Nova said with a nervous laugh while rubbing the back of her head.

"But anyway, it was good to see you Nova, but I must get back to work," Via said with a small bow of her head.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all. If you ever want to talk, just come and find me okay?" she asked with a smile before turning away and began walking back to the rooms of her group.

"I will keep that in mind, thank you," was all Via said before turning her back and began walking to her workplace.

Humming cheerfully, she continued walking down the hall, but decided she didn't want to go back to the room yet. That's when her stomach roared for food. Walking past the hall of friends, she walked to the mess hall to see what was for dinner… breakfast… lunch? Stopping in the hall, she turned to a few soldiers talking near the wall before walking up to them. "Excuse me, do you know what time it is?" she interrupted sweetly.

"Early afternoon," answered an emolga nicely.

"Thank you, ma'am," she replied with a short bow before continuing her walk again.

 _Okay, so lunch it is then,_ she thought. However, just as she entered the mess hall, a blue blur rushed around the corner and slammed right into her. Tumbling and turning, she laid beneath a very familiar vaporeon, who gasped upon realizing her victim.

"Just who I was looking for," she said with excitement evident on her face.

 **[POV: Lura]**

"Why were you looking for me?" Nova asked.

Lura hesitated for a moment, wondering how she should go about asking in a polite and professional manner.

"So, you can't have children, right?" Lura asked hurriedly. Immediately, she winced at her word choice and began to blush furiously as Nova's eyes widened in shock. Lura threw up an apologetic paw, halting any words coming from out of the mouth of the stupefied eevee.

"I probably could have phrased that better," Lura blushed. Nova narrowed her eyes at the vaporeon, and nodded slowly.

"Yes, that wasn't exactly a good way to phrase it. No, I can't have kids. Why?"

Lura's blush deepened. "Well, I see how you are with Malik and Keaira… and I think that you would make a great mother. I've actually been feeling really sad recently about you not being able to be a mother…," she paused for a second to gather her words, and to get her cheeks under control, before continuing. "So, I brought this up to Aurumn just a little while ago. I thought that there was nothing that I could do to help you, or at least make you feel better. Then…," she trailed off again, staring at Nova once more.

Nova returned her gaze quizzically, tilting her head slightly as she did so. Then she brought up a paw and rolled it in a 'continue' gesture. Lura gulped, and nodded.

 _Okay, just get it out there Lura. You can do this,_ she thought to herself. Then she breathed in deeply, then out slowly.

"Just spill already!" the white eevee exclaimed impatiently.

Lura immediately began to blush again. "He brought up surrogate mothers," she squeaked out quickly. _Wow, that was hard to say._

Nova's eyes widened even more, if that were possible. Then she blinked slowly as Lura waited breathlessly.

"So... are you offering to be our surrogate?" she asked, stupefied.

Lura nodded her head quickly. Nova's mouth dropped open in an 'o' shape. Then she shook herself.

"Have you spoken to Kage about this yet?"

Lura shook her head. "No, you were the first person I saw that it concerned, barring Aurumn that is. I wanted to get your opinion on it, as well as your approval, before I did anything… certain, I guess," she said.

Nova nodded. "Well… is Wolfe alright with this?"

Lura nodded her head vigorously. "Yep! Why else would he bring it up to me?"

The eevee nodded again, looking to be deep in thought. Lura found herself really hoping that she wouldn't take too long, as the stress in awaiting a response was already getting to her, if her nervously shifting tail was any indication.

Finally the eevee began to speak again, saying, "Well, I guess, if you would really be willing to do this for us… or for me rather, then I have no objections. We'll go talk to Kage later tonight and get his opinion… Lura, I really don't know why you would do this for me, but… thank you."

The vaporeon let out a sigh of relief, and smiled brightly. "Of course I'm serious! I mean, what are friends for if not to help each other?" she chirped cheerfully.

Nova giggled behind a raised paw. "Well, I don't think most friends would be willing to have a child that wouldn't be theirs, so to speak anyway. I think that's something that only you would do Lura. Most people aren't that… selfless."

Lura frowned. "I'm sure that some people would offer to do this for you," she reasoned.

Nova shook her head. "See, that's the problem. Some people would, but most would not. So, yeah, some people might, maybe like, one in 100. Kage and I… we're not as liked by the public as say Wolfe, or even you through him. So, we don't have as many friends per se."

Lura frowned again. "Well, I'm your friend!"

Nova giggled again. "Yes, you are. You're one in a million, Lura. That's probably why Wolfe fell for you as hard as he did."

Lura felt a glow of pride as Nova said that, as well as a flash of pity. But, she kept that to herself, as she knew that Nova probably wouldn't appreciate it. She shook herself, and beamed at the white eevee.

"Well, why don't we do something that friends do today? After we speak to Kage of course. I would like to get that out of the way as soon as possible, so that I'm not as anxious for the entire day," she suggested.

Nova nodded, smiling. "Well, what would you like to do then a?"

Lura sat and tapped a paw against her chin thoughtfully. "Well, first let's go find Kage. Where's he been anyway? I haven't seen him for a while."

She shrugged. "He's been around, mostly in our room. He doesn't like to be as social as some other people I might mention."

The vaporeon nodded. "Alright, then to your room!" she exclaimed, before turning tail and marching towards their sleeping wing with a sense of purpose. She heard Nova laugh behind her, before the sound of pawsteps began to trace her footsteps.

After a short trip of navigating the halls and corridors that made up the Dark Army's main base, they arrived at their sleeping wing. Lura took a moment to peek inside her room to see if Wolfe was still there, but wasn't surprised to see that he had gone, leaving Cordina and the kits still sleeping. They had fallen back asleep for a while after their conversation that morning. When they woke up, Nova was gone, and Wolfe said that he had some other business to attend to, leaving Lura to her own devices, which was when she went out in search of Nova to discuss their idea.

Backing away from their room and making her way towards the room right next to their own, Lura and Nova entered Kage's and his mate's room. She noticed immediately saw Kage, and noticed that he was looking lost in thought, staring only at the wall across from their bed.

"Hey babe, Lura had an idea!" Nova exclaimed excitedly, breaking the umbreon out of his stupor and drawing his curious gaze towards them.

"Oh? An idea about what?" he asked. Lura still couldn't shake that uneasy feeling that always filled her body as soon as she laid eyes on the red ringed umbreon.

"Well, I suppose that she can tell you," Nova chirped, flicking her tail at Lura as she jumped on the bed to cuddle with him.

Kage turned his gaze to Lura, a questioning look in his eyes. "Well?" he asked.

Lura felt her blood start to rush to her cheeks. "Well… Aurumn and I were talking this morning, in particular about our kits. I… I told him that I was feeling sorry about Nova and yours' lack of ability to have children, and how Nova was very good with them. I felt that she deserved a chance to raise her own, and that it was cruel that that chance was taken from her." She paused to gather her thoughts and to concentrate on not crying at what she was about to say next.

"I told him that I wished that there was something I could do to help… then he asked me a couple questions. He eventually told me that… he and I will never be able to have kits again, that Keaira will be our only one. Then he said that it didn't have to be _my_ only one, and brought up… surrogate mothers. So, my idea, is that you let me be the surrogate mother for your guys' kit," she finished, cheeks a bright purple.

Kage's eyes widened, and he shot a glance at Nova, who was staring at him imploringly. He stared at her for a while, before shaking himself and frowning. "Nova, is this something that you want?" he asked.

Nova nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes it is. We both know that I will never have a child of my own, but… that doesn't mean that we can't have a child," she answered, smiling hopefully.

Kage continued to stare at her, and turned his gaze back to Lura, who was shifting from paw to paw anxiously. He blinked. "You would really do this for us?" he asked.

Lura nodded, and beamed at him. "Of course!"

The umbreon turned back to Nova. "And you're alright with this? You realize that I'll have to mate with her, right?"

Nova shrugged dismissively. "You've already had experiences with Wolfe, one of his mates won't be that big of a deal. So yes, I'm alright with this."

He blinked. "Are you sure?"

Nova nodded. "Mhmm."

"Positive?"

The little eevee began to glare at the larger umbreon. "For the last time, yes! Now make arrangements and screw her already!" she shouted.

Kage chuckled softly. "Fine, fine." He turned towards Lura. "Well… if you're alright with this, and Wolfe is as well, then I have no complaints. When would you prefer that we did this?" he asked.

Lura looked at the ceiling thoughtfully, sitting down as she did so. "Well, I suppose there's no reason to wait. Will tonight work?"

Kage nodded. "Yes, tonight will work just fine. I'm guessing that you'll be staying in their room tonight?" he asked Nova.

She shrugged. "I could, but I don't have to. Although, I do greatly enjoy playing with the kits. So, yeah. Probably."

Kage snorted once. "Alright, that's all arranged then."

Lura giggled. "Yes, I suppose." She turned to Nova. "So, on with our girls' day then? Have you eaten yet? It must be past noon, and I haven't had anything all day."

Nova beamed happily at her. "Nope, I was just about to when you ran into me. I wonder if that emolga is still around there, she looked nice. Maybe she'd like to join us."

"Well, I guess we better go find out!"

 **[POV: Artul]**

When Artul arrived at his training room, Derrick was sitting still, as usual. The only unusual thing about it this time, was that the luxray appeared to be sleeping. The dark jolteon frowned, wondering what he should do.

 _Well, I suppose I can get started on my warmups,_ he thought. He shrugged his shoulders, and then made his way to the edge of the room so that he could run around it's perimeter. However, before he could begin running, Derrick's voice called for him to stop.

"Hold it there, Artul. Today's going to be a bit different. I've had a request come in from those higher up in the hierarchy that you have the whole day off. You've been training diligently ever since you got here, with scarcely a break, barring your little outing with that pretty espeon. So, the day is yours, do with it as you will," the old luxray told him, before silence entered the cavern again.

Artul stared at his mentor for a moment, surprised. It seemed that he was getting breaks more and more frequently as time went on. Not that he would complain, but now he needed to figure out what to do. Normally it was train, eat, and sleep. His last break, Via had stopped by and showed him around. Today however, he had to decide what to do on his own.

 _I guess I could go try and find Via. Or Wolfe. Or, I can go back to my room,_ he thought as he made his way into the main hall. He decided that he would just walk around and see if he came across anyone he knew.

As he walked down the lit hallway, he found himself hoping more and more that he would run into Via. He didn't know why exactly, but something about her made him want to be around her. He knew that he definitely enjoyed being around her, but that was all that he could definitively say about her. She was… an interesting character to say the least.

After walking in silence for a few minutes, he saw a familiar pink feline making her way down the hall in the opposite direction. Artul froze mid-step, wondering at his luck. It was almost as if something all mighty was looking out for him and making sure that his day off would go great.

However, as they drew closer and she still didn't notice him, as she appeared to be lost in deep thought, he found himself wondering what he should say, or if he should even say anything at all. He didn't want to bother her if she was busy. In the end, he decided that he would say nothing and let her carry on with her day.

When they were around three feet from eachother however, Via's gaze suddenly came back into focus as she caught sight of him. She immediately broke into a broad smile upon recognizing him, one that he returned slightly.

"Artul! Fancy meeting you here! How come you're not in training? I figured that you trained all day every day. Or did my request for you come through?" she asked him cheerfully.

Artul blinked and came to a stop in front of her. "Well, Derrick told me that a request came to him for me to have the day off completely from one of his superiors. I take it that that was you?"

She stopped as well, and nodded at him, still smiling. "Yes, that was me. Well, sort of. I made it known to Duke that training you ragged would be a total waste of time and resources, and suggested that he make a request for you to get an official break. So, my understanding is that from now on, you'll have every seventh day off from training, until you start getting assigned to missions that is. Then your training days will probably diminish to once or twice a week, depending on how active you're kept," she explained.

Artul nodded in understanding. "Well, thank you. I appreciate it," he told her with a smile. She nodded back happily. Then she frowned.

"While I would love to spend another day with you, unfortunately, I can't. It's not my off day, and I have things I need to do today. Which stinks in my opinion, as I seem to be working more than even Duke. Then again, he doesn't seem to work a whole lot, he just shouts at people." She sighed unhappily. Then her face grew a calculating look, as though a thought had just struck her. "Although, if you'd like you could still spend the day with me. There's no rule stating that I can't have a partner as I go through my work day. So, you could just stick around me and see what I do here!"

He blinked once. Then he shook his head, and thought about it for a moment. _I didn't really have any other plans today, so I suppose this isn't too bad of one._ He shrugged and then smiled again. "Sure," he told her.

Via beamed at him, nodding. "Sweet! Well, let's go then!" she exclaimed, before heading back the direction that Artul had come. As he followed her, Via began to speak again. "So, you missed my visit to the War Room, although you didn't miss a whole lot if I'm honest. We don't exactly have the best strategists here in the D.A. But, I suppose that can't be helped a whole lot. One thing interesting that happened was Nova. She snuck into the session, and then made a laughing stock of Duke, which seems to be happening a lot recently for some reason. Well, there are worse things to do I suppose. Anyway, next thing on the agenda today is some food. After that, I have a council with Duke and Luna, as well as a few others, then an oracle session so to speak. Basically, I try and get a glimpse of the future," she explained.

Artul nodded in understanding, forgetting that she couldn't see him. Realizing his mistake once she turned her head to stare at him curiously, he said, "Alright, got it." She smiled back at him, and then focused in front of her so as not to trip or run into anyone.

After they had eaten their food, Via led him back through the halls and corridors that made up the base, until they reached a rather fancy door, at least for the stone it was set in. Artul took this to be Duke's command room of sorts, or maybe a throne room.

Via knocked on the door loudly to get the room's occupants' attention. After a brief silence, a feminine voice spoke to them through the door. "Enter!"

Via nodded, and carefully pushed the door open and entered the room, followed closely by Artul.

Inside, Artul saw that the room was rather large, though not as large as Via's cavern, and mostly empty, barring a couple cushions at the top of a set of stairs, which Artul took to be their 'thrones', and a couple of sentries, both human. Sitting atop the 'thrones' were Duke, and an umbreon who he recognized as Luna.

Luna had a small smile on her face, while Duke was wearing a scowl. His scowl only deepened once he caught sight of Artul.

"What is he doing here?" he asked suspiciously.

Via didn't even blink. "He's only here to accompany me, nothing else," she answered smoothly, all cheerful energy gone from her voice.

Luna raised an eyebrow playfully. "Accompany you? Do you suddenly feel the need to have a more active mate?" she asked with a grin.

Artul blushed, but Via didn't seem to even hesitate. "Artul is a friend, that is all."

The jolteon wasn't sure why, but those words hurt him. Not much, but he felt a sharp sting in his chest nonetheless. He wondered if he wasn't getting attached to the pretty espeon.

Luna frowned. "Well, I'm disappointed to hear that. I've only heard minor inklings of rumors that you have a mate, though I can't say that anyone has met him."

Via dipped her head graciously. "My personal life is just that, my personal life," she said emotionlessly.

Duke shrugged, before turning his attention to Artul again. He glared. "Why is it that you and your group continuously try to annoy me? Earlier it was that eevee, now it's you. Of course, that bastard Wolfe still trumps all of you when it comes to that. How did he ever get so full of himself?" he asked, seemingly to himself.

Artul blinked at him, then shrugged. Duke sighed and rolled his eyes. "I forgot, you're the quiet one. No matter, I'll just pretend you're not here. Now then, Via. What have you learned recently?" he asked.

Via turned her attention to the absol. "I have only received hints of a few things. A great power rising in the southeast, a dangerous foe in Norovia, and as always, the ever-present threat of Memoria. Their advance army was indeed halted by our latest mission in that direction, though that wasn't the mission's intent. Regardless, why reject a good thing? I don't foresee an attack of any merit for a while now, not for some months or so. It's difficult to get an accurate measure of time."

Duke frowned. "What about smaller attacks, those lacking this merit you speak of?" he asked.

Via nodded. "Of those I see a few. The one I see in the very near future seems to come from the north, as should be expected. There is a small village, half a day's journey from Daric to the east. Then there is an attack planned at one of our supplier's locations. How the Memories got that information I do not know, but that is the attack that stands the largest chance of being effective against us. Beyond that I see little."

Luna frowned. "Which supplier is it?" she asked.

"One between here and Nor, best I can tell. It's set just inside the mountains, though I could see fields a short distance from the building itself."

Luna turned towards Duke. "That sounds like Rhoan's warehouse," she said. Duke nodded in agreement. He turned towards one of the humans.

"Go get our C and E teams on standby, have them be ready to head out on my word. C team's destination will be Rhoan's warehouse, E's will be towards an unnamed village east of Daric. Go," he ordered. The man nodded once, before hurrying out the door to go about his errands. Duke turned back to his visitors.

"Now then, what can you tell me about my personal request for you?" he asked carefully. Luna huffed and rolled her eyes, muttering mutinously, as Via dipped her head.

"As I tell you every time you ask, I see nothing of him. He's unreadable for whatever reason, no amount of you asking will change that. I will continue to try, but that will be the best I can offer," she said.

Duke scowled as Luna sighed again. She glared at him out of the corner of her eye. "I really don't know why you have such a problem with him. He's a great guy!" she exclaimed.

Duke rolled his eyes. "About as great as a tauros' ass," he stated firmly.

Luna growled darkly, which surprised Duke, Via and Artul equally. She didn't seem the type to growl. Duke and Via were further shocked when she suddenly leapt to her paws and stormed out of the room, looking furious. Duke blinked in confusion.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked no-one in particular. The remaining human sentry only shrugged. Artul was just as clueless, though obviously Via knew what was up.

The espeon sighed and rolled her eyes. "If you don't know, there's no point explaining it to you. Are we done here? I have things to attend to."

Duke nodded, and waived a paw dismissively, looking thoughtful. Via turned around and padded out the door, with Artul not far behind her.

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

After he had split paths with Lura for the day, he decided that he would try and find Gale, to finish their discussion that they were having on top of the base the day before about her boyfriend. He didn't want to pressure her too much, but… he didn't want her getting hurt anymore either. So, if he could fix the problem, then she wouldn't get as hurt. Easy math in his head.

 _But of course, things are rarely that simple,_ he thought. _She probably has some kind of attachment to him, or maybe he's holding something over her head. Doesn't matter, but I intend to find out who this scumbag is._

But, he still didn't know where her room was, so he was stuck meandering through the Dark Army's halls until he found her. _Oh joy._

He didn't mind a whole lot, however. There were plenty of people to talk to, to try and get some information about Gale and her boyfriend. Unfortunately, information wasn't exactly forthcoming.

He saw the ditto from the day before again, though he didn't get a chance to talk to her. Or it. He decided that he would just call the ditto 'her', as that was the gender it normally took from what he could tell. It seemed to like being an emolga.

He thought he saw Toxy again, but couldn't really be sure, as he was with a couple other pokemon that he didn't recognize. Regardless, he wasn't in the mood to deal with a crazy nymphomaniac, so he just left her alone.

Wolfe kept his path true however. He knew that sooner or later he'd either run into Gale, or run into someone that knew of her location. It only took a little patience.

As he passed the cafeteria entrance for the fifth time, he saw a _very_ familiar pokemon coming the opposite way. And… she didn't look too terribly happy at the moment. Even when she saw him, her expression only lightened a little bit.

"Aurumn!" Luna exclaimed, forcing a cheerful tone. He smiled at her brightly.

"Why, hello there love! What's wrong?" he asked as they came to a halt in front of eachother. Her smile became a little more genuine at his term of endearment.

"Nothing, it's just… can we talk in private for a little bit? There's a few… things that I'd like to speak to you about," she said, smile fading. Wolfe raised an eyebrow, before nodding.

"Sure thing, just lead the way," he told her with a smile. She smiled back slightly before walking past him, flicking her tail for him to follow. He padded after her dutifully.

She led him to what appeared to be an unused sleeping wing, all the way to the end of the 10 rooms on the right, far away from any prying eyes or ears. He wondered at the need for such secrecy, though he had a few ideas as to what she might want to talk to him about.

Once inside the room, she turned and faced him, a longing expression on her face. "We need to talk," she said.

He raised an eyebrow as he sat in front of her. "I thought that was obvious, what with you asking me if we can talk privately and all. What's on your mind?"

She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "You see… I still have feelings for you. If I'm honest… they're stronger than those I hold for Duke. And it's… bothering me. I wish that you two could get along, but, that doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon. But… I don't think I can live without either of you in my life. Not again. When I thought you were… dead… that was hardest and lowest point of my life. I would mope from place to place, not caring what happened to me. It got bad… very bad. I was… close to ending things. Close that was, until I met Duke." She paused to take a breath. Then she continued.

"He found me after a pretty bad week in my life. I had just tried killing myself for the third time when he saw me, lying in a ditch looking half dead. He cared for me, brought me back to health. He was a good 'mon. Still could be. But… he's changed. I don't know if it's just because of him founding the Dark Army, or because of the amount of power he now holds, or what, but… he's not the same pokemon that saved my life." She took another breath, releasing it slowly. Then she looked at him and smiled gently.

"And then I see you again, a literal ghost from my past. And you haven't changed a bit, still as fun and caring as you ever were. And… for a second I forgot that Duke was my mate. For a second… I didn't care that he was." She locked eyes with him. "I still don't."

There was silence between them after she finished speaking, with them just staring at eachother, motionless. Finally, Wolfe began to speak again.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" he asked carefully. She nodded once.

"I… I want us to go back to how we were, so many years ago. It doesn't have to be official or anything like that, I know how much you love Lura, but… in secret… I mean, we could even just meet here on occasion, share a night together, then go back to our mates in the morning. It doesn't have to be every night, but any night would be perfect. Just… please…," her voice trailed off as she stared at him.

Wolfe sighed, but before he could speak, she silenced him by placing a paw on his muzzle. "No, don't answer now. But… the next three nights I'll be waiting here, from sunset to midnight. If your answer is yes, then… just show up, ok?" she asked, staring at him. He sighed, and nodded, causing her to smile. "Thank you," she whispered, before removing her paw and replacing it with her muzzle, drawing him into a kiss, which he returned. Then she broke away and walked past him, pausing only to stare at him longingly again, before turning around and walking out the door.

Wolfe sighed, staring up at the dim ceiling, deep in thought. He sat there for a long time, before he eventually sighed one more time, and glanced down at his paws. Then he stood up, and exited the room, heading out into the main hall, still lost in thought.

 **[POV: Gale]**

Gale sat outside her and her boyfriend's shared room, waiting for… something. She wasn't sure what exactly, but there she was, waiting for it to happen. She half wondered if she was waiting for her boyfriend to return, or maybe… maybe she was waiting for another male. She wasn't sure, wasn't sure at all.

She just watched the people and pokemon walking by, going about their business. She saw Artul and Via a couple of times, though she barely knew who the dark jolteon was. She liked Via though. She also saw Luna twice, once looking very angry and sad, and then the second time, heading the opposite way, looking hopeful.

She wasn't sure what she thought of Luna. On one paw, she was always very kind and friendly towards her, but on the other, she fell for a guy like Duke. That thought left a bitter taste in her mouth.

 _She's not the only one who made a choice of partner that turned out to be… bad,_ she thought miserably. She sighed disappointedly.

"There you are!" a familiar voice called, sounding as cheerful as ever. She raised her head to see a familiar flirty umbreon walking towards her with a spring in his step.

"I've been looking everywhere! You're a hard pokemon to track down, you know that hon?" Wolfe asked, grinning at her.

She smiled back at him slightly, before jerking her head towards her shared room. Then she padded into it, hoping that he would get the message. He did.

Once inside, she turned around to look at him, a challenge in her eyes. "Why were you looking for me?" she asked.

His face turned serious so fast, that Gale almost thought the happy appearance he had on a few moments earlier had been an act. "You should know why. You need to talk to me Gale. Otherwise I can't help you, and _don't_ say you don't need my help. You're getting it whether you want it or not. So, we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. Who is it?" Wolfe asked sternly.

Gale stared at him curiously. "What's the hard way exactly?"

He grinned savagely. "I camp out in your room until the asshole makes an appearance, regardless of how long that takes," he promised.

Gale flinched, and looked at her paws. Then she shook herself and made her way towards an adjoining room, one that was partially blocked from the entrance by a dark sheet. She flicked her tails for him to follow her, wanting as much privacy as she possibly could. Then she sat on the ground and waited until he was inside the private area.

"Alright, now speak. Who is it?" he asked, gentler this time. Gale nodded once, sharply.

"His… his name is… Devon O'Press. He's a growlithe, a few years older than me. I don't think that you've met him before, but… there's only so many growlithe here. Chances are you've seen him before. But… Wolfe, please, I want help, I do, but I don't see how you can! You see he… he's a good friend of Duke's, his best friend even. That's why I haven't been able to leave him, he would tell Duke that I did something bad, and then I guarantee that I wouldn't live to see another month, and I…," she broke off with a choked sob, not trusting herself to speak.

She leaned forward, intending to fall onto the ground and cry till she couldn't cry anymore. But, instead of the ground, she found herself falling into Wolfe's chest as he caught her easily. As her tears fell into his chest fur, she found herself wondering at how often this sort of thing happened between them. As she cried, she decided that she'd never had a friend like him before.

"You're fine hon, you'll _be_ fine. I won't let anything bad happen to you, trust me. We'll deal with Devon, you won't have to worry anymore. Once he's dealt with, we can have you moved into my sleeping wing, where you'll be safe. Trust me, you'll be fine hon," he told her passionately.

Gale just found herself nodding, wondering how she ever ended up with a friend like him, even though she hadn't known him that long.

 **VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

 **LEMON WARNING: M/F Wolfe x Gale**

 **[3rd Person POV]**

"You know," Wolfe said after he had held her for a while. "I still need to collect on that deal of ours."

Immediately he felt Gale stiffen. Though he couldn't see her face at the moment, he knew that she was blushing, turning her white cheeks to an adorable red, even through her fur.

"I haven't forgotten… I just feel like this wouldn't be the best time or place for you to collect on it," she answered slowly.

Wolfe grinned devilishly. "And why not?" he asked.

"'Cause Devon will be back soon, and we're still in our _shared_ room," she replied, with emphasis on the second to last word.

Wolfe nodded, though he continued to grin, despite knowing that she wouldn't be able to see it. Slowly, he moved his tail in between her legs, being careful not to give away his intentions by accidentally brushing them. At least, not yet.

Gale let out a gasp, and a soft squeak as soon as she felt his tail brush against her vagina lightly. "I would say that this is the _perfect_ time to collect," he murmured seductively in her ear. She squeaked again as he brushed against her once more, harder this time, though he didn't penetrate her with it. Her breathing increased slightly. "If he walks in while we're still occupied, then he'll just have to watch, now won't he? You see, once I have my mind set on something, it is nigh impossible to sway me. Besides, the thrill of being caught, the arousing _feeling_ of having a voyeur, is more than worth the negatives, no? Wouldn't you agree hon?"

Gale could only blush as his words and actions worked their magic on her, feeling herself get more and more aroused. "But…" she began, before Wolfe interrupted her by pulling away and gazing into her eyes deeply.

"But nothing. I won't have you fear this… douche any longer. I will protect you, of that you need not fear. If not me, then Kage. I can owe him another favor, though he has yet to collect on his last one. Regardless," he pushed his muzzle forward till it stood only a centimeter away. "Let's not think about him right now. Right now, it's just you…" he moved closer. "And me." With that, he closed the distance and brought her into a deep kiss, drawing a moan from her as she closed her eyes.

Wolfe watched as she closed her eyes, admiring their gorgeous purple until he couldn't see them anymore. Then he grinned faintly, and gently made his tongue enter her mouth, hearing, and feeling, her moan her pleasure at his actions. He increased his tails motions, even going so far as to insert the tip of it into her gently.

 _Wow,_ she thought, feeling her arousal reach dangerous levels, where she might actually go along with his insane plan. _I had forgotten how… adept, he is at this._

Eventually he broke away from her, leaving her panting and him grinning. She just blushed at him.

"Now turn around hon," he whispered gently. She nodded mutely, then slowly turned around, still not convinced that this was an entirely great idea. However, slowly but surely, she was beginning to just not care. _Might as well have some fun I guess,_ she thought with a small smile. Finally, she was facing directly away from, though she kept her tails lowered as she turned her head to grin at him mischievously. He huffed in annoyance, though there was amusement in his eyes as he did so. She lowered her front, but kept her rear raised, though her tails still covered what Wolfe was after. She shook her ass at him seductively, her tails swaying from side to side as she did so, teasing him as she kept his prize tantalizingly out of sight.

He huffed again, before he began to growl softly. Then he shook himself, and pouted at her. "It's not nice to tease," he complained. She winked at him.

"But I'm not teasing. It's not like you can't find your way around my tails, now is it? I'm not limiting you at all," she said cheekily. He raised an eyebrow at her, and chuckled softly.

"You naughty little vixen, I bet you were just playing hard to get earlier. Well, since this time I don't have to just stare at your ass, don't mind if I do," he laughed. He padded towards her raised rear, which she continued to shake at him. Once he was close, he suddenly winked at her. Then he gently glided his muzzle across her flank, using it to stroke her gently, until he reached her armor, where he paused.

"I'm going to take this off, is that alright?" he asked gently. She tensed for a moment. Then she took a deep breath, and quickly jerked her head up and down to say yes. Then she tensed as the clasps holding her armor in place suddenly detached, causing the armor to fall to either side of her. She let out a squeak as she felt the cool air make contact with her now bare fur. She stared at Wolfe, a little fear in her eyes. He smiled at her comfortingly, before gently breathing down her side. She shivered as she felt the warm air from his maw brush against her.

Then he continued as he was doing earlier, running his muzzle down her side. When he reached her neck, he paused again, and then gently nipped her, causing her to squeak. It occurred to her how less confident she was without her armor. He proceeded to backtrack, gently nipping her here and there, though he was careful to avoid her scars. She began to moan softly, her earlier fear giving way to a gentle pleasure.

 _This isn't Devon,_ she thought, as Wolfe's loving bites were getting closer to her rear. _You can trust him, he won't hurt you._

Wolfe paused just above her rear, and stared at her curiously. She smiled, and nodded. He smiled back at her, which then turned into a mischievous grin. "So, are you ready to pick up the pace a little?" he asked. She grinned back.

"Am I ready? You're the one who's taking his sweet time, torturing me for no reason at all, when you're so close to ending my suffering," she pouted playfully, knocking her rear against his muzzle. He growled at her, also playfully.

"Well, if you're going to play that way, I guess I'll skip the part that usually happens next, and just jump to my favorite part," he said, before biting her rear, causing her to laugh and yelp.

Wolfe then stepped behind her and mounted her, using his body and forelegs to push her tails up as he did so, clearing his path towards her vagina and pinning her tails between the two. She lowered her forelegs and chest to the ground, and then turned her head to look at him as best she could.

"And you're still teasing," she muttered crossly, glaring at him. He chuckled, and then gently leaned forward until she felt his throbbing member press against her slit firmly, making her moan gently.

"If I was really teasing you," he whispered into her ear as he leaned down. "I would do this." With that he shifted his body a little bit, and then pressed forward, his shaft sliding along her pussy and down between her legs. Gale whimpered softly, biting her lip as she did so. Wolfe chuckled, and then rocked his body backwards, still rubbing against her cunt as he did so. Then he humped forward, back in between her legs, though he did let out a soft moan as he did so, enjoying the wet sensation that came from her slit even as the tightness between her hind legs caused some friction, which he found highly pleasurable.

He continued his actions for a while, until Gale's body was practically begging for her to be filled. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Please, just fill me already!" she exclaimed. Wolfe paused in his motions, and then chuckled.

"You're wish is my command," he whispered, before moving his body all the way back, freeing his member from where it had been trapped beneath her body. The he shifted his hips forward, pressing his cock firmly against her slit once more. Then he humped forward very slightly, till the tip of his shaft penetrated her. Then he pulled it back out, making Gale whimper in need.

"Please, stop teasing," she whimpered. Wolfe kissed behind her ear gently, and hummed in agreement. He slowly penetrated her once more, and continued his motions forward, moaning as he felt her walls grip his length just as tightly as the last time they had enjoyed each other's company. He dimly heard her moan softly with him, as well as detecting a satisfied sigh at the very end as well. ' _Naughty vixen,'_ he thought. ' _She's been wanting this to happen for a while.'_

' _I don't need to be part of this conversation, you know that right?'_ Gabe's voice suddenly cut into his thoughts. Wolfe smiled, and pulled out slowly, before thrusting back in hard, making Gale squeak and rock forward.

' _I wasn't exactly reaching out to you. As if I would, all the way to Haven,'_ he sent back, as began to thrust himself in and out of the white fox beneath him in a steady rhythm, enjoying the slight sounds of suction that often accompanied the act of mating, as well as enjoying the feeling of her incredible warmth. It still surprised him that she was an ice type.

' _Maybe not, but when you're in the mood, MAN can you shout, even unintentionally. It's even worse when you're in the act itself,'_ came the reply.

Wolfe was silent for a moment, enjoying all the sensations that came from him fucking the tight pokemon below him. The fact that he actually liked her was an added bonus. Gale began to contribute to the exercise more, rocking her body back and forth, forcing him deep inside her. She moaned again, and started to pant, squeezing the shaft inside of her tightly, which in turn caused Wolfe to moan. He began to thrust into her depths harder.

' _Sorry, a little distracted right now,'_ he sent, panting.

' _Who is it this time?'_ Gabe asked.

' _A certain vixen that owed me another romp.'_

' _Hmm… Ava? No, that white one, Hail?'_

' _Close enough, Gale. Definitely in my top five for fun sessions.'_

' _That good huh? Hmph. Considering how many people you've been with, making the top 20 would be a huge compliment. Top 5? Damn. Almost makes me jealous,'_ Gabe sent with some amusement.

Wolfe chuckled, not replying for a little bit again. He leaned his head down and bit her scruff, feeling her walls clamp down on him as soon as he did so. "Oh~ fuck," he moaned quietly, releasing her scruff as he did so. The feeling of her already tight vagina getting even tighter almost made him lose control and pound into her furiously. But, he refrained. At least for now.

Regardless, he did pick up the pace a little bit, thrusting into the tight fox below faster, adoring the cute little grunts and huffs that escaped her maw as she was forced forward. He grabbed her scruff again, more prepared for her inevitable reaction this time, though her walls tightening around him did make him moan softly.

' _Need I remind you that you have a mate? And kids?'_ Wolfe questioned cheekily.

' _So do you, my friend. Doesn't appear to be affecting you any,'_ Gabe responded.

Wolfe chuckled quietly, putting more weight onto his front and forcing Gale's front to lay flat on the ground, hearing her grumble slightly as he did so.

"You don't have to have my face pressing into the ground you know. I was doing just fine standing on my own," she complained.

Wolfe snorted in amusement, before thrusting into her hard and locking himself in place. Then he yanked on her scruff, bringing her to her paws. He released her scruff and placed his head so that his cheek was pressing flat against hers.

"Maybe not, but isn't that better than having your whole body flat on the ground?" he asked, before using his head and body to knock her onto her side, ignoring her sharp shriek as he remained inside of her. He used a paw to roll her onto her back, where she glared up at him. Then she smacked his nose with her forepaw.

"Bad, bad, bad!" she shouted, emphasizing each 'bad' with a smack to his nose. He shook himself and sneezed. Then he grinned down at her slyly.

"I'm bad, eh? Well then, I guess I'll have to start acting like the bad boy, no won't I?" he said, before pulling out of her completely and standing over her. She started to whine at him.

"No, I take it back! Good Wolfe! Good~ boy," she cooed, causing Wolfe to laugh.

"Well, since you're being so polite about it…," he trailed off and lined his member back up with her cunt. He winked at her, before leaning down and placing his muzzle over hers. Then he slammed himself home, using her little gasp to explore her mouth once more. He picked up right where he left off, fucking the adorable white vulpix senseless, enjoying her short breaths into his maw.

' _Different situation entirely, Lura and Cordina know that I'm a slut,'_ he sent Gabe matter of factly.

He could practically feel the gallade roll his eyes. _'Yeah, yeah. I'm faithful, so what? I can still look and dream. Just can't touch.'_

' _Ah, what a sorry life you must live, knowing that you'll never be able to fuck anyone other than your mate. I feel like having one partner for the rest of my life would be… boring.'_

' _Hardy-har-har. You're a riot, Demon. Now, are we finished with this conversation? Wouldn't want to hold you back from your exciting life.'_

Wolfe smiled. _'Not quite. Want to do me a favor?'_

' _Oh no. Ugh, fine, I'll stop by and visit. Just the oil?'_

' _Yes, and thanks partner.'_

' _You know, how come I'm always having to bring you items for your little romps, but you never bring me any?'_

' _Because you never ask, and you don't ask because then you know that I'll want in. Now, scoot!'_

He smiled as an idea crossed his mind. _'Besides, think of it this way. Now you'll have a show!'_ he sent to the gallade.

There was no response, though he didn't expect there to be. He returned his attention back to Gale, realizing that if he was almost out of breath, she must be nearly passed out. He quickly broke off their kiss, feeling a little guilty as she started to gasp and pant. She didn't look to worried, if her adorable blush and faint grin were anything to go by.

"Bit long that time, don't you think?" she asked, grinning at him. He chuckled in amusement and placed his head next to hers, thrusting into her harder.

"Does it matter how long if you still enjoy it?" he shot back.

He didn't give her time to reply, slamming into her furiously and causing her whole body to start to slide across the floor, until a wall stopped them.

Gale could only gasp and moan, what between their longer than should be normal kiss and the fact that he was rutting her like he was worried she was going to disappear if he didn't finish soon. She wasn't exactly upset with that, feeling his dick fill her in ways that Devon's never did.

She felt her orgasm building, threatening to overwhelm her and flood her senses. She began to moan louder, not caring if her boyfriend heard or even saw them. All she could focus on was the feeling of the umbreon's rod sliding into her, feeling it throb and pulse within her, ready to fill her womb to the brim. Once she felt his knot start to slap against her slit, she suddenly realized something.

"Wolfe, you-," she broke off with a loud cry of pleasure after feeling Wolfe's knot force her entrance apart, the sensation of him grinding it into her bringing about her own orgasm, which threw the last bits of precaution out the window. Her orgasm's strength only increased as she felt his hot seed fill her, just waiting to fertilize any eggs that might be there to accept them.

 _And there might be,_ she thought dimly. _I'm at the beginning of my season._

She felt him attempt to thrust in and out of her again, though she knew he wouldn't be able to. They were stuck for a while, waiting for him to fill her.

"Yes-, Gale-?" Wolfe asked, panting.

She felt him pump one last load into her womb, and put her comments to the back of her mind. "Never mind," she answered, blushing slightly. She wriggled her body underneath him, loosening her muscles. Which had the unintended effect of stimulating the umbreon even more, as she felt another spurt deep inside her. She couldn't hold back her giggle upon seeing Wolfe's blissful face as he moaned, with his eyes closed. She giggled and poked him with a paw.

"Looks like someone is enjoying me," she observed cheekily. He cracked an eye open and grinned at her.

"I won't deny it, you are a very enjoyable pokemon, Gale. But, I would guess that you enjoyed me just as much," he retorted, emphasizing his statement by thrusting himself in and out of her as much as his knot would allow, which, admittedly, wasn't much. But it had the desired effect of stimulating Gale again, as was made obvious by her squeak and moan of pleasure.

She nodded breathlessly, not even pretending to refute his statement. Wolfe laughed, and kissed her forehead. She grinned up at him.

"So, we done then?" she asked, half hoping he'd say yes, but mostly hoping he'd say no.

"Nope!" he exclaimed cheerfully, with a quick shake of his head and a grin. "After all, you said that there was a particular form of sex that we could try, one that is… different, but involves mostly the same parts. Half of them anyway. You up to trying anal hon?"

Gale gulped, a deeper blush coming to her cheeks. "Uh… will it hurt?" she asked, still blushing.

Wolfe frowned for a moment. "It will be a little uncomfortable at first, but once you get used to it, it's _very~_ pleasurable. I'll go gentle, and I'm quite confident that you'll enjoy it," he reassured her. She gulped once more, then nodded. Wolfe grinned.

"Alright hon, once we're no longer stuck together, I'm going to ask you to get on your paws and raise your tail and sexy ass in the air, alright?" he asked.

She nodded once more, still feeling slightly nervous. He grinned at her, and shifted himself, waiting for his knot to deflate.

A few minutes later, after one last spurt inside of her, Gale felt the bulb locking them together go down to the point where Wolfe could finally pull out of her. As he did so, Gale noticed that none of his seed had poured out, meaning that it all stayed inside of her.

 _Well, nothing I can do about it now,_ she thought as Wolfe hopped off her. She slowly got to her feet, and, upon realizing that she was standing steady, shook herself and turned herself around, lowering her front and raising her 'sexy ass' in the air with tails raised, as Wolfe had requested. She shook it at him, giggling softly.

"Now there's a sight I won't get tired of," he laughed. "Alright, this is going to feel a little wet and cold, but don't worry too much. It'll make things a lot better for you, trust me."

Gale nodded, continuing to shake her ass at him. He was definitely fun to tease, that was for sure. She stopped doing so, however, when she felt his tongue run over her puckered entrance, causing her to squeak softly. Then she felt it again, this time with it staying there, exploring her third hole. It felt… different. It wasn't a very bad feeling, in fact, she felt she might quite like it, but for now it just felt… odd.

She let out a soft moan when she felt his tongue beginning to penetrate her anus, spreading the tight muscles with his strong tongue. She felt his muzzle press against her ass, with him forcing as much of his tongue inside of her as he possibly could. She started to pant softly, deciding that she was enjoying this experience so far.

She almost whined in disappointment when he pulled away, as she had begun to feel her orgasm build up slowly. She blushed when she felt him kiss her next to her tailhole, not knowing how to react. Then she squeaked when she felt his paw, covered in something cold and wet, prod her anus. Whatever he had put on her warmed up quickly however, so it wasn't a huge problem. He started to rub it into her gently.

After a while he pulled away, leaving Gale to stand there with her tails raised, waiting for him to continue. She heard the slight sounds of movement behind her, and glanced back in time to see Wolfe rear up on his back legs and mount her. She turned her head forwards and closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing.

"Relax hon, it's not going to be that bad. If it helps any, Lura loves doing this, as does Cordina. You'll enjoy it, trust me," she heard him murmur in her ear. She nodded, took a deep breath, and opened her eyes.

"I'm ready," she said confidently. Immediately Wolfe pushed himself forward slightly, until she felt the tip of his member pressing against her anal sphincter. With a slow, deliberate pace, Wolfe began to enter her, moaning at the sheer pleasure and tightness that he was feeling, despite having only just penetrated her. Gale continued to focus on her breathing even as she felt the uncomfortable and unfamiliar feeling of her tailhole being stretched.

Before she knew it, she felt the familiar presence of Wolfe's knot pressing against her puckered entrance, though it wasn't throbbing or swollen at all. For the moment, it just meant that he had bottomed out.

"I'm going to start moving now, alright?" he questioned, after they had rested there for a while, not moving, with Wolfe being on the highest plain of pleasure from the sensations he was feeling, and with Gale slowly getting used to his presence in her asshole. She nodded, wanting to see how it felt to be humped with his rod in that particular hole.

He eased himself out slowly, pulling out till just his tip was inside of her. Then he rocked himself forward, pushing back in to her tailhole, bottoming out again. He groaned in pleasure, loving the tight muscles around his cock, even as he pushed through them and into other territory. "Oh, this was so worth the wait," he whispered to her. She didn't say anything, only nodded as she panted. He pulled out again, and thrust forwards once more.

Slowly he developed a certain pace, one that was just fast enough to suit his purposes, but slow enough as to where he didn't cause Gale any unnecessary pain or discomfort. He would have _loved_ to go faster, but, until she was ready, he was fine with the pace that they were at.

Gale moaned loudly, starting to seriously enjoy the feeling of her anus being stretched, and her asshole being filled in a way that she had never known. She looked back at him over her shoulder. "Faster~," she cooed. Wolfe grinned down at her and kissed her quickly.

"I thought you would never ask," he grunted, before doing as she asked and he wished, humping her faster, to the point where it was like he was fucking her cunt, not her tailhole, though the sheer tightness of it made him sure that he was indeed where he thought he was.

Gale lowered her face to the ground even further, almost flat against it, as she began to rock her body backwards to match his thrusts, moaning and gasping the whole way. The only thing that she could focus one was the sensations she was feeling, the sounds she was hearing. It was _very_ pleasurable.

She didn't notice when a loud voice spoke in her room.

 **[POV: Devon]**

"Come here slut, I'm in the mood," Devon said loudly as he entered the room. He froze, having heard something. Then he heard a loud cry of pleasure, followed by a deep, guttural growl. _That sounds like Gale,_ he thought, rage building up inside him. He stiffly walked into their shared room, and froze yet again, pure shock on his face.

An umbreon was thrusting balls deep into his girlfriend's ass, with Gale clearly enjoying every second of it, with her eyes closed and head raised to the ceiling. The umbreon, not pausing in his actions, turned his head to look at the growlithe, an expression of disdain on his face. Then he grinned, and winked, before rutting Devon's girlfriend even harder, with his head turning around to find the vulpix's muzzle with his own.

As soon as their lips made contact, Devon snapped and let loose a loud, fearsome growl before leaping at the screwing pair with a shout of anger, intent on ripping the umbreon, who looked familiar for some reason, to shreds.

Before he could so much as blink, he was suddenly frozen in mid-air, a purple aura surrounding him. He tried to shout, but nothing came out. All he could do was watch as the umbreon fucked what was once his.

For over a half hour he stood there, frozen, eyes glued to the scene in front of him, watching as they changed positions every now and then, one time even with Gale facing him. After his girlfriend had orgasmed for the third time, the umbreon finally thrust into her hard, causing her to scream.

"Wolfe~!" she cried, before falling limply to the ground, passed out. The umbreon, who appeared to be stuck to her, looked up at him and smirked. Then he winked once more, before curling himself around the white vulpix. Gale drowsily looked up to the umbreon as he did so, and the dark fox leaned down and kissed her once more, much to the white fox's obvious delight, before she laid her head down as the umbreon whispered something into her ear.

Then the umbreon laid his head down and flicked his tail dismissively. Immediately Devon's surroundings winked out of existence, before winking back in. He shook himself, and found that he was standing on the top of a bare mountain peak, with the wind blowing through his fur.

 **LEMON END**

 **VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

 **[POV: Kage]**

' _Sin, I have a request for you, one you probably won't like a whole lot,'_ he heard Wolfe's voice in his head. Kage grimaced, though he knew that came with Wolfe's mark. He just wasn't expecting a message so soon.

' _What do you want, Demon?'_ he sent.

' _I need you to deal with a scumbag.'_

' _Who?'_

' _A guy named Devon O'Press. You'll be able to find him at the top of the mountain overlooking the base. It's the tallest one around, you can't miss it.'_

Kage frowned. Hard. _'What do you want me to do, push him down the mountain? Who is this guy and why does he deserve your wrath?'_

' _Do you remember that white vulpix, Gale? Or Hail, either one. Regardless, he's her boyfriend.'_

He snorted. _'I'm not going to push someone off a mountain just because he's the boyfriend of one of your romp mates. Do your own dirty work.'_

' _You don't understand. He's an abuser, been beating her physically, verbally and possibly sexually for a long time, if Gale's scars are anything to go by. Just… please. I'll owe you another favor, but this guy deserves this and much worse.'_

Kage's eyes dilated. _'Why didn't you lead with that information? Whatever, I'm on my way. Not killing him though.'_

' _Don't worry, he's an asshole. Chances are it'll take more than a shove down a mountain to kill him. Trust me, I know from experience.'_

' _Exactly how many mountains have you shoved someone down?'_

' _Three or four, depending on what counts as a mountain. Missing the point, judgement is waiting.'_

 **[POV: Devon]**

 _I'm on top. Of a fucking mountain,_ he thought. Then he thought of Gale and that umbreon and his thoughts turned dark, imagining just what he'd do to those two once he got off the mountain that was his current prison.

He looked down then side of the peak he was on, and only saw a straight drop for at least 40 feet on either side. He frowned. _Well this will be a challenge._

Before he could even begin his decent, he heard a strong, intimidating voice coming from behind him.

"Devon O'Press I take it?" it asked. Devon stiffened, and slowly turned around to face the owner of the voice. There he saw an umbreon with bright red rings and furious looking eyes. He didn't like what he saw in those eyes. He only saw pain. His pain.

"Y-yes, that's m-me. W-what of i-it?" he asked, trying to put on a brave show.

The umbreon's eyes narrowed, turning into a blood-chilling glare. "And does the name Gale Valentine mean anything to you?"

Immediately Devon's demeanor changed. "And how do _you_ know her?" he glared. "That slut, she probably fucked you too. I realized recently that she seems to prefer umbreon's."

Those horrible eyes narrowed even further. "So you do know her. Care to explain why you would turn your claws against her, your would-be-mate, in such a cruel manner?"

The growlithe glared right back. "I don't have to answer to you. Wait till I get back to the base. I'm good friends with the leader, I can have you hunted down till the end of your days," he growled furiously.

The eyes flashed. "Wrong answer."

Before Devon could react, a red pulse shot from the umbreon's lowered head ring, impacting the growlithe dead-center and sending him flying through the night air…

… and off the mountain entirely.

 **[POV: Lura]**

Lura shifted from paw to paw impatiently, waiting for Kage to return. She didn't know where he went, but he had said that it was important. Lura knew better than to butt into business that didn't involve her, but that didn't help her impatience too terribly much.

She had entered his room as planned earlier, but had immediately run into Kage himself as he was leaving. He had apologized, and said that he'd be back shortly. That was 20 minutes ago.

But, Lura knew that all she could do was wait. _I hope he doesn't take too much longer, otherwise I-_

She didn't get to finish that thought, as Kage burst into the room rather abruptly, looking rather pissed. Lura's anxiousness immediately turned into concern.

"What's wrong? What's happened?" she asked hurriedly, rushing to him.

He shook himself, and stared at her his gaze softening. "I imagine that you'll be hearing about it here soon. Wolfe and I just took care of a problem, that's all," he told her quietly.

Lura frowned once, concerned, before she shook herself and forced a smile. "Well… so long as you're both alright, then I suppose that I don't have a problem with it," she smiled.

Kage nodded, looking thoughtfully at her. Then he shook himself. "Well… are you ready?" he asked her. Lura blushed, and nodded slightly.

"Yes, yes I am. So… let's get started then," she murmured, before turning around and hiking her tail up into the air.

 **VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

 **LEMON WARNING: M x F Kage x Lura**

 **[Third Person POV]**

Kage let out a slow growl of appreciation as Lura revealed herself to him, showing him her ready slit. While Lura was excited for what was about to happen, she was also a little bit nervous. She'd never mated with anyone other than Wolfe with the intention of getting pregnant.

Kage had no such hesitations, or at least no visible ones. As soon as Lura presented herself to him, shaking her ass enticingly in the air, he had begun to move forward, his member throbbing with anticipation and excitement. He didn't waste any time with foreplay, deciding to go straight to the main event, as he figured it would take more than one romp for Lura to get pregnant.

As he approached, Lura continued to wave her rear at him, both to bolster his sex drive, and to decrease her own hesitations. This was also the first time that she had any sexual intercourse without Wolfe present and participating. While it was exhilarating, it was also a bit nerve wracking.

Before she could get too lost in thought, however, the red ringed umbreon was rearing up on his hind legs as he mounted her, his cock pressing against her folds, waiting to penetrate her. Kage let out a soft growl, and suddenly slammed himself forward, penetrating the vaporeon and pressing deep inside her in one thrust, his growl turning into a deeper one of higher satisfaction.

Lura gasped at the sudden penetration, feeling herself being filled in a way that only Wolfe could, or so she had thought. She certainly hadn't expected Kage, who was smaller than Wolfe physically, to be equal to him when it came to member size. It was… a pleasant, as well as pleasurable, discovery. She moaned softly, saving her voice, which she knew drove Wolfe crazy, for later when she needed the male to go faster and harder.

Kage continued his growling, before he slowly pulled himself out of her, until half of his member was lodged inside her. Then he thrust forward again, before developing that into constant and rhythmic pace, thrusting in and out of the beautiful vaporeon as she began to participate more, thrusting herself back into the umbreon in time with his thrusts. She squeezed her walls around him experimentally, moaning in satisfaction as he responded with louder growls.

Kage began to pound into her harder, as he leaned forward and took the back of her neck into his maw, biting her. She moaned louder, her delightful voice working wonders on him, causing him to fuck her even harder.

Lura moaned, loud and long, as Kage's ministrations began to bring about her orgasm. She rocked herself back into him, trying to silently tell him to go faster. He got the message, and began to rut her cunt furiously as her voiced climbed in volume.

As the red ringed umbreon began to go incredibly fast, she felt her climax build, drowning out any and all thoughts as it crashed over her, her body releasing a flood of juices as she did so. She screamed, a scream of pure pleasure, as the umbreon continued, not slowing his pace, if anything increasing it.

Kage felt her begin to spasm around his rod furiously, knowing that she had climaxed. He grinned savagely as he forced himself into her harder and faster.

After minutes of him fucking the tight vaporeon underneath him, Kage finally felt his orgasm about to overwhelm him as well. He growled into Lura's scruff, before using it to jerk her back into his cock, hard, as he forced his knot inside of her.

Once inside, he bit down harder, almost drawing blood, as he began to pump her full of his semen, filling her womb and more, fertilizing any seeds that it came across. He dimly heard and felt Lura climax a second time, the feeling of his sperm inside her too much for her to handle.

Kage pumped a couple more spurts inside of her, thrusting into her as he did so, until he finally stopped pumping. He released her scruff and began to pant softly, before he began to lick the back of her neck.

After they sat for a while, Kage felt his knot begin to deflate, signaling that he could pull out, and go again.

Which he did, pulling out of her almost entirely, before thrusting into her firmly, bringing her out of her afterglow, and signaling that he was going again. Lura didn't complain.

He continued to fuck the vaporeon well into the night, until Lura had collapsed from exhaustion. Only then did he stop, though he continued to fill her as she slept.

 **LEMON END**

 **VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

 **[POV: Luna]**

The shiny umbreon sat in the dim room, waiting, hoping. Every time she thought she heard to sounds of movement outside their private room, her ears perked, hoping that it was him.

However, after waiting until well past midnight, Luna had to sigh sadly as she looked down, a tear finding its way to the hard ground below. Soon it was joined by another. Then another.

 _He's not coming,_ she thought sadly, knowing that it was true. She half-heartedly made her way out of the room, and towards her room with Duke, who had been sleeping for the past few hours she knew.

Unbeknownst to her, a pair of ruby eyes followed her gentle and beautiful curves, eyes filled with a pain, and a longing of their own in them.

* * *

 **OH. MY. DIVINE.**

 **Guys. Gals. People. I. Have returned. Again.**

 **HOLY SHIT, NOT ONLY DID I FINISH, BUT I DESTROYED 200,000 WORDS!**

 **That's right, there are officially over 200,000 words in this story. AND, I have 44 followers, 31 favorites, and over 8,000 views. PEOPLE. I can't thank you enough, I had this story on unscheduled hiatus, for months, and you all still stuck with me. THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

 **That said… let me know what you all thought, particularly that first POV with Nova. It wasn't written by me, but by a couple fans who wish to remain anonymous. So, in a review or PM, tell me what you thought!**

 **Also, what did you all think of my first lemons since March? Yeah… it's been that long. I will be rewriting the Lura x Kage lemon later, when I haven't been up for 26 hours, and can focus better, so DON'T WORRY! It'll be better soon. But, I want to get this chappie out ASAP.**

 **Also, I uploaded a prologue, so if you haven't yet, go check that out. This is as of 8/2/17**

 **Nothing else to report, except I fucking LOVE you all for not ditching me and my story.**

 **So, without further adieu, I'm going to sign off.**

 **But first: UncleInTheAttic, this one's also for you. Banana Hammock.**

 **-Aury**


	25. Notice

Howdy!

This is your courtesy notice that you have reached the end of part one. Part two is just ahead! Don't go nowhere, unless you've been binge reading. Then you should probably take a break XD

Anyway, I seriously hope you enjoyed so far! Things get hella more intense after this... so be prepared!

Enjoy!

-Aury


	26. Chapter 24: Exile

**A/N: Whelp, a promise is a promise I suppose, now isn't it?**

 **Surprise, surprise! It's yet another chappie. If I'm honest, I wanted to wait some more before I released it, but, as I said, a promise is a promise. So, here we are!**

 **Just a couple updates for you the reader: One, I have officially moved. Not even in the same state (I'm from the U.S.A.) lmao. No, whenever I do something, I do it big XD. I moved halfway across the continent XD.**

 **So now I'm sitting here, in what is undoubtedly Western United States, as opposed to Midwest. Away from all my contacts and friends and family for the most part….**

 **And I'm loving it lol.**

 **I love it here. I love the mountains lmao. And whenever someone asks me irl if I've ever loved someone, I say: "Of course! Why, I'm in love right now!" Then they'd ask, of course, with: "Who?!"**

" **The Rockies :3"**

 **So, yeah. I'm happy with my lot so far XD. No end of excitement. And I've already almost died four times! And I've only been here for a month XD.**

 **And I somehow acquired a puppy and a kitten, with another puppy on the way… not by design or plan, mind you. Just something that happened XD. "Mind watching my kitten for a few days?" "Sure, I don't mind!" 5 days later… "Hey Aurumn, you can just keep the kitten, I got another one."**

 **So now I'm covered in scratches with an adorable cat and dog. I only wanted a dog :(. Kitties always lead to scratches XD.**

 **Now then, there are a couple things to clear up. One, I genuinely have no clue when my next update will be lmao. Please don't ask, I won't be able to tell you. Two… Aury made a couple mistakes in story :(. Whoops. I'll do my best to rectify them, buuuut… Well, hopefully y'all will understand. Three, some OC's submitted to me will not be able to make an appearance. If your OC already has, then I'm going to continue using them. But, I feel as though I lost control of my story XD. Instead of focusing on my main characters, I seem to be focusing on OC's. Which, isn't bad! I mean, it's hella fun. But, it's challenging lmao. I mean, I did a count of how many characters I need to keep track of, and I'm sitting north of 50. "Oh, that's not much, blah blah blah." Well, that's actually quite a bit, considering I have to remember their personalities, remember their appearance, remember their style, and so on and so forth.**

 **It's a lot of strain on me, not going to lie XD. But, any OC I have received, and don't have specific plans for in ALB 1, I'll include in book 2. I also need to pick up my pace a little lmao. It still feels like I'm just beginning this story, and I'm already a couple thousand words over 200,000. This is going to be a looooong story, and not going to lie, that's a little daunting XD. But, I always did like a challenge ;). So, I'll keep working on it lmao. I see this story easily lasting two years. I mean, we're getting close to year one being over with lol. Like, holy shit. I believe I first uploaded this story on January 10th or something close to that anyway. Been nine months and ten days as of now. So, yeah. It's gonna go for a looongg while. Hope that doesn't bother anyone XD.**

 **And then there's A Legend: Gale. No, I have not forgotten nor abandoned that story (I really need to update tho.). I actually am pretty much done with the next chapter, but, I don't like how it turned out, sooo, I might rewrite it. It's hard work, writing sometimes XD. Time consuming too. But, well, it can be enjoyable. I also have started another project, and if you somehow manage to find it, kudos! XD.**

 **Next on the list of things: Aury has finnaalllyy gotten a break from life. This past month has done me very well. Like, I'm almost happy again XD. But, there are still a few things I need to figure out. Such as a house lmao. I've been unemployed for like a month, which is the longest time I've been so since I was 16. Otherwise I've been working, and working well. So, this little vacation has been nice. Very nice, actually. Besides the near-death experiences, I mean. But come on, it's me XD. Can anyone honestly see me living easy? Totally unrelated side note: a tree that hangs off a cliff is not the best place in the world to walk. Especially when said tree is rather rotten in its center. Thank goodness for quick reflexes, eh?**

 **New scars, new stories, and a new life. And it's only been a month XD.**

 **Now, last thing before I get into the chapter. I want to say thank you to a couple of individuals for helping me out, even if they haven't realized they were doing so. Thank you to WolvenRepublic(duh), cadenceheart117, The Vilified, FriskyFlareon, and DarkfoxProjectX. They are all writers here on this site (You've probably even read some of their stories XD), and they are amazing people with amazing stories. I would highly recommend checking them out. They've been putting up with me and my shenanigans for quite some time now XD. So for that, thanks guys.**

 **And also a thank you to those fans that talk to me and support me etc. I appreciate you guys/gals enormously. I won't name any particulars due to not offending anyone, but you should know who you are.**

 **And last but certainly not least, a thank you to all my fans in general. Needless to say, I wouldn't be writing this story without you guys. Oh, and before I forget: 40 Favs, 51 Followers, and 10,000 views! Woot!**

 **Disclaimer: Aurumn/TheGrey0ne does not own Pokemon or any of its affiliates. He does, however, own this story and his characters in it, unless specified as otherwise.**

 **WARNING: This chapter contains serious blood and gore, which some people may not want to read. Reader discretion is advised, this is when the story begins to get darker. (No worries, there will still be a lot of fluff and whatnot, but hey. Need something for everyone, right?)**

* * *

 **Part 2**

 **[POV: Duke]**

 _ **{To think that when we first met, you were so hollow inside. My, how you've grown, My Champion.}**_

Duke was relaxing, wasting away the time until he needed to go to a meeting or appointment, or any of the other two-hundred thousand things he needed to do. He was also waiting for his mate to show up again, with her having disappeared last night on some other business. She hadn't returned for quite some time.

He briefly wondered where his friend, Devon, had disappeared to. He hadn't been seen on base for two nights, and he was beginning to worry. However, as leader of the Dark Army, a title that filled him with immense pride, he couldn't waste his time looking for someone who was probably off galivanting with some easy lady. Wouldn't be the first time he'd done something like that.

 _That pokemon needs to have more faith to his mate,_ he thought. Duke was famous for his loyalty to Luna, and she to him. Of course, every now and then he had some suspicions. But, they always proved to be unfounded. In the end, he just trusted his mate to do the right thing.

In Devon's case, however, Devon openly flirted and romped with other pokemon. But he never let _his_ mate have that same luxury. Hail was for Devon and only Devon. Of course, Duke knew there some rumors floating around about Hail and the Demon, Wolfe. They did spend a lot of time together after all.

Just thinking about Wolfe got Duke's blood boiling. There was something about that pokemon that he just didn't like. He didn't like his attitude, he didn't like his personality, and he most certainly didn't like his way around females. Especially _his_ females.

It had been bad enough that Wolfe used to be mates with Luna. That didn't sit right with Duke. He knew that it was jealousy on his part, and that it was probably unwarranted, but he couldn't help it. But, he probably still would have liked Wolfe if it hadn't been for one thing. His daughter, Cordina.

Duke, of course, knew all about Wolfe and his mannerisms, and had figured that if he wanted to get a good deal on hiring him, he should send someone pleasing to the eyes. He also knew, of course, that Cordina was an exceptional beauty, if not a little young. He had figured that sending her would give them the best possible chance and deal to hire Wolfe.

And that plan had backfired a little bit.

Not only did she disobey his instructions to just tease, maybe flirt a little, but to _not_ mate with him, she ended up coming home a mother and having a mate. That already had another mate. He didn't want his daughter to be a part of any of the polygamy that Wolfe apparently practiced. If he hadn't already told her that he wouldn't arrange a mate-ship for her if she found her own mate, and if she didn't have her kit, he would have ended that relationship.

And of course, he didn't exactly get a good deal with Wolfe. The umbreon was most definitely _not_ worth the time, effort and money that Duke had put towards hiring him. It seemed that everything ended up being turned against him when it came to Wolfe.

 _If he wasn't such a damn good talker or fighter, I would have been done with him already,_ he thought.

And he wasn't getting to send Wolfe on anywhere near as many missions as he had hoped. Overall… he was very close to just cutting his losses and sending Wolfe away. The amount of money it took to hire Wolfe was substantial, yes, but the Dark Army made and had more than enough money to make up for it.

Duke was shaken from his ponderings by a voice calling from the entrance of his room.

"Sir, Via says she has a message to give you!" shouted a young male mightyena.

The absol raised his head to stare at him, a satisfied look on his face. "Finally!" he exclaimed, before pushing past the young runner, and making his way towards his Seer's quarters. Once he reached the entrance, he had to pause for a second to gather himself as always. Then he pushed himself inside.

Inside, he saw the espeon staring into the pool of water that was central to her choosing the cavern. She said that it helped her concentrate. It was a slight pain to make comfortable, but Via so far had proved worth it. She had helped make the Dark Army what it was today, a force to be reckoned with throughout all of the Southern Region. Unless one were to go too far north, that is.

"Welcome, Duke," Via greeted, elegantly turning around to face him. He grinned fiercely, but that expression fell when he saw her face. She looked scared, and beyond worried.

"Greetings… I believe you have news for me?" he questioned, no longer looking or feeling so happy.

She nodded sagely. "That I do," she said. She closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate for a minute, as the jewel on her forehead began to shine. "A warning. I see a great darkness befalling the Dark Army. It will burn through us like a fire will burn through paper. That which you no longer consider a threat, will prove to be the undoing of your life's greatest work," she intoned. Then her jewel dimmed and her eyes opened, staring at him worriedly.

Duke's mind was racing furiously. _That which I no longer consider a threat? It has to be Wolfe. There's no-one else that could be a threat, at least that I wouldn't consider one. There's Sin, but I'm already wary of him. No, it has to be Wolfe,_ he thought.

He raised his eyes to stare at Via. "How much time do we have before this happens?" he asked.

She frowned. "It has already begun," she said. Then she sighed. "If only I knew what it was warning us about," she fretted.

Duke's gaze narrowed into a glare. "I think I know exactly what it's warning us about. Or rather, who," he growled darkly. His thoughts then turned to what she had just said. _It has already begun… Devon!_

 **[POV: Luna]**

Luna murred happily, cuddling with Wolfe in their secret room. She had almost thought he wouldn't show up, but, last night he did.

She had been waiting there, lost in her misery and feeling like he would never show. He hadn't the previous nights, so why should he now? But, she had said she would wait, and wait she did. Until well past midnight, when she finally gave up hope. She had looked at the ground and sighed, and had slowly made her way out of the room.

She had only made it about halfway out of the door, when a soft voice had spoken. "Wait," it said. She had turned around and found that Wolfe was already in the room. He had showed up. After he had spoken, they didn't say a word. They didn't need to. And that night had been the happiest Luna had been in a long time, she felt.

And now here they were, cuddling with eachother after a long night, filled with many emotions on both sides. And Luna couldn't be happier.

She stirred slightly as a thought struck her. She turned to look at the male umbreon curled around her, and found that he was already looking at her with an emotion in his eyes that absolutely thrilled her. He smiled at her, and she returned it readily.

"How did you sneak in here last night without me noticing?" she asked. He chuckled softly.

"Oh, I didn't sneak in. I just arrived much earlier than you did is all," he replied.

Her eyes widened slightly. "You're telling me that you were here that whole time? I find that surprising, I'm usually very observant," she pondered.

He grinned cheekily. "Well, Ms. Observant, you didn't notice me any of the other nights either, now did you?"

Now her eyes widened to the furthest point they could, with her jaw dropping as well. "You were here every single night?" she asked in a whisper, tears filling her eyes. He nodded softly, his smile falling slightly.

Then she practically threw her head at him, nuzzling him furiously. "Thank you," she cried softly. She felt him stroke her back with his tail gently, soothing her. A little while later, she regained her composure, and then glared at him. "Would it have been too much to ask for you to make an appearance earlier?" she asked, rather angrily. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"I had to think about a lot dear," he justified quietly. _Oh,_ she thought, and nodded.

"I'm sorry to put you in this position, I truly am… but I won't say that I regret it," she told him, smiling gently at him.

He smiled at that. "No, I'd imagine that you don't. I suppose I don't either, even though I don't think we should do this every night," he said.

She nodded, smile fading. Then another thought struck her. "Hey, do we know what time it is?"

His gaze lost focus momentarily, before it snapped back to her, his eyes widening in shock. "Uh… noon…," he said sheepishly. Her eyes widened again.

"Shit," they said in unison. Almost as soon as that exited their mouths, they began to hear voices, growing louder as they got closer. They're gazes snapped to the entrance of their room.

"The trail leads this way, sir," a young voice said. "That room right there… sir, there's another scent here."

"Well, who is it?" a voice she recognized as her mate's said.

"Uh… your mate's, sir…," the same young voice said.

"What!?" Duke shouted angrily. She heard the quick burst of paw steps running towards their door. Right as she saw the door burst open and she had caught sight of a furious looking absol, the room winked out of existence.

 **[POV: Duke]**

He burst into the room angrily, throwing the door open hard enough to shatter it, and briefly thought he glimpsed a blur in the center of the room, but it was gone too quick for him to be sure. His gaze darted around the room quickly, eyes searching furiously. _Nothing,_ he thought darkly.

But as he inhaled, there was no doubt about the smell. It smelled of musk and sex, but also of Wolfe and his own mate. _That's the last straw!_

"Soldier, get in here!" he shouted. He heard the young mightyena sprint into the room, where it skidded to a halt.

"They're not here?" the young soldier wondered aloud.

"No, but they definitely were. Good nose son. Now, I have a mission for you. Go to the 'C' wing, and grab that vaporeon, my daughter, and their two kits. Bring them to the arena. Then spread word around that if Wolfe doesn't show up, I'll start injuring them, got it?" Duke demanded.

The mightyena's gaze locked onto his, eyes widening in shock. "You wouldn't actually do that, would you sir?" he asked incredulously.

Duke growled. _Of course he'd ask that._ "No, of course not," he lied. "But Wolfe doesn't know that, now does he?"

Understanding filled the mightyena's eyes. "You got it sir, very clever!"

Duke grinned savagely. "Of course it is. Now go! Quickly!" he demanded.

Without another word, the mightyena sped off to do his bidding. _And now, to wait._

He made his way towards the arena, lost in thought. He was about halfway there, when a couple messengers met him, a human and a linoone.

"Sir! We found him!" the human shouted, the linoone panting for breath.

Duke's interest sharpened. "Found who? Wolfe?" he demanded.

The human shook his head, now trying to catch his own breath. They'd clearly run for quite a while. The linoone answered his question.

"No sir! We found your second! Devon the growlithe sir!" she reported.

Immediately Duke's demeanor changed to one of worry and concern. "Take me to him," he ordered.

They immediately turned around and began to run down the main hall, with Duke hot on their heels. Then they turned down another hall, and Duke realized that they were heading to the medical wing. _Oh no,_ he thought.

They entered the wing, and Duke was immediately hit with the scent of blood, pain and sickness. He was surprised at the number of occupants in the room. He hadn't realized there were so many injured.

Then he spotted a familiar orange and black striped pelt, laying on a bed surrounded by healing pokemon such as chansey and audino. He rushed to his friend's side immediately.

"Devon! What happened? Who did this?" he asked hurriedly. He got no response from the growlithe, and he soon realized that he was unconscious, though he could tell that he was still breathing.

Instead, an audino to his right answered. "Calm down sir, he's going to live. As for what happened, well, it appears that he fell off a mountain. He's been out in the cold for several days now, but he's a fire type, so the cold didn't affect him like it would you or I," she told him.

Duke turned his attention to her. "How bad are his injuries?" he asked, quieter this time.

She hesitated, sorrow flitting across her gaze. "Well… I'm not going to lie sir. He has a hard life ahead of him. The fall… sir, he broke his spine. And four ribs, three legs as well as a fractured skull… sir, it's a miracle he's still alive, and that's something to be thankful for, but… he's never going to walk again," she stated. Even though she spoke gently, her words hit him like a blow to the head. Here lay his best friend, who had been his friend since before he had founded the Dark Army, and he was told he wouldn't be able to walk again. Wouldn't be able to father kits. Wouldn't be able to do… anything normal.

He started to growl, deep and low and fierce. "Who did this?" he asked ominously.

The audino hesitated. "We don't know for sure that anyone did, but he's been muttering in his sleep. He keeps saying 'Wolfe', and 'Gale'. I… I would have to hazard a guess and say that they were the ones responsible," she answered sadly.

A dark cloud seemed to crash down over the absol, sending him into a fury the likes of which he had never known. "Thank you, nurse. Now then, I have some business to attend to," he stated coldly, before turning tail and marching out of the medical wing and towards the arena.

 _That demon will pay,_ he vowed silently.

He stopped his forced march just outside of the medical wing, and turned to the two messengers who were following him. They immediately stopped and waited for his orders. "I want you two to go and get Hail, or Gale Valentine. She is to be brought to the arena along with Wolfe's mates and kits. I want her there before I arrive," he commanded.

They nodded smartly, and then quickly sped off towards Hail's room. Then Duke continued on his way, alone this time, his thoughts on how he would punish the pokemon. Then he snarled fiercely. _I know exactly how to punish them,_ he thought.

The hall leading into the arena was packed with soldiers of the Dark Army, both pokemon and human, all vying to get into the arena and watch the trial they had heard about. He could hear the whispers running through the crowd as he forced his way through them. " _I hear that the Demon is getting punished!" "No shit, that's why we're all here. I hope he gets punished good." "I don't! He seems like such a great guy! Better than our leader anyway…"_

He did his best to ignore them, as he finally entered the arena. The huge cavern, the largest in the base actually, was filled with soldiers. There were easily a couple thousand in the room alone, with many more in the hall outside. There was just enough room for Duke to make his way through the crowd, although he did spot the odd gap here and there. In the center of the room, stood a vaporeon, an umbreon, a white vulpix with black tails and head fur, and two eevee kits, with a circle of soldiers surrounding them. Plenty of room for them to carry out any sentence he deemed necessary. _Perfect,_ he thought.

He made his way to the edge of the circle, in front of the cowering pokemon. He glared at them all furiously. He turned to the crowd behind him, and pointed to two random humans. "You two. Take my daughter and bring her to my chambers. She's not to leave until I say otherwise. And be quick about it!" he snapped to them. They both saluted smartly, before rushing past him and grabbing the female umbreon and lifting her up between the two, dragging her wailing through the crowd as she was parted from her kit. He heard some in the crowd mutter about that, but he ignored it.

Then he turned back to the remaining pokemon in the center, and glared at them. _And now we wait,_ he thought.

He didn't have to wait long. Ten minutes after he had sent Cordina away, a dark flash filled the room, and suddenly there were two more umbreon's in the center, one regular colored, though admittedly larger than normal, and the other one with blue rings and an appealing figure.

Duke didn't wait for any words to be spoken, and turned to two more random soldiers. "You two, take my mate to my quarters as well. Then you are to join the two guards already there and make sure that neither of them leave until I say otherwise," he ordered. The soldiers nodded, and then rushed to do his bidding as well.

He only turned his attention back to the pokemon in the center when another flash filled the room. His eyes narrowed. Wolfe had turned into his human form, with his face shadowed in his deep hood and wearing his combat armor.

The entire cavern suddenly went eerily quiet, with not even a whisper to break the silence. Duke nodded his head firmly.

"Soldiers of the Dark Army, we are gathered here this dark day for the mercenary, Aurumn Wolfe, to stand trial," he shouted.

His voice cut through the silence loudly, and he knew that everyone could hear him clearly. It was then that he noticed Via sitting next to him, and saw her jewel glowing again. _She's probably amplifying my voice,_ he thought.

He continued, saying, "He stands accused of three crimes. One, bedding the mate of me, the Dark Army's leader. Two, of assaulting a superior with intent to kill, with the help of one Gale Valentine. And three, evading capture and delaying justice."

Some muttering broke out at his accusations. They quickly faded into silence again.

"Now then, my soldiers, I must ask you. What is the penalty for assaulting a superior with intent to kill?" Duke called.

A quick muttering ran through the crowd. "Death," it said.

Duke tilted his head to listen. Then he nodded. "However, this raises a slight problem. Aurumn Wolfe cannot be killed. So what does that mean his punishment should be?" he asked.

There was some confused muttering going through the crowd. He noticed Wolfe begin to tense. Duke grinned darkly. _He knows what it is,_ he thought gleefully.

He cleared his throat, bringing silence to the room again. "I'll tell you, my soldiers. If we can't kill the Demon, why, we must take that which he loves," he shouted loudly.

He fixed his glare on Wolfe. "I hereby order Gale Valentine, Lura Wolfe, Aurumn Wolfe, and their kits, to death!" he roared.

Immediately shouts filled the room, some shouting with encouragement, and other shouting in rejection.

He grinned savagely at Wolfe. "What have you to say, Demon?" he asked him.

He could have sworn just then, that he heard the human growl in a most inhuman way.

 **[POV: Wolfe]**

' _Partner, I'm going to need your help,'_ Wolfe sent to Gabe.

' _What's going on? You sound pissed,'_ came the response.

' _Duke just sentenced me, Lura, Gale and my kits to death,'_ he replied.

He didn't get a verbal response, but he noticed that Gabe had immediately appeared to his left.

' _Are we going to join, partner of my soul and mind?'_ Gabe asked.

' _We might have to, but these are tough odds even for that. Let me try and talk us out of this, but stand ready,'_ he replied. He saw Gabe nod out of the corner of his eye.

Wolfe stepped forward. "I say this now. One, Gale did not have anything to do with Devon's injuries. That was strictly me. Two, he was an abuser, and assaulted Gale Valentine physically, mentally, and sexually. He deserved everything he got and more. And finally, three. If anyone so much as touches me or mine, will subsequently be slaughtered like the animal they are," he stated calmly, his gaze like ice as he stared at Duke.

More muttering broke out among the crowd. Duke's glare narrowed even further. "My judgement is final. They all die," he said.

Before anyone else could speak, Via suddenly leaped away from her place at Duke's side, and then ran in between him and Wolfe. "Sir, I must protest. Lura, Gale and the kits are all innocent in this. They should not be punished!" she exclaimed.

Duke turned his glare on her. "My orders are final. They all die," he said coldly.

Via's gaze narrowed. "A leader who does not listen to reason is no leader of mine. If you want to kill them, you'll have to kill me," she stated defiantly.

Duke's eyes widened slightly. "Via, be reasonable. You yourself warned me about an enemy that I no longer considered a threat would be the destruction of the Dark Army. That threat is him," he said, pointing a paw at Wolfe. "Be reasonable and stop this foolishness. Come back over here and I'll forget that this ever took place."

Via shook her head, her gaze determined. "If you would do this, then you are no leader of mine. I'll remain where I am," she said solemnly.

The absol snarled and glared at the espeon. "So be it. I hereby sentence Via Shepherd to death, on grounds of treason," he shouted.

There were more people that seemed to be upset at this proclamation, though the majority were still supportive of Duke's decision. _'It appears some of their loyalties are absolute,'_ Wolfe sent. Gabe nodded again, his eyes narrowing.

Upon the announcement of Via's death sentence, Wolfe noticed a familiar dark jolteon leap into the ring, again in between Wolfe and Duke. Duke eyed him steadily.

"You too?" he growled. Artul nodded, and narrowed his eyes. "Then you are sentenced to death as well."

Immediately, a familiar luxray leaped into the clearing as well. _Derrick._ The old luxray turned his penetrating gaze on Duke. "As a master of the traditional way, I must defend my student with my life. You will have to kill me as well, Duke Sol," he stated strongly.

Upon that declaration, more soldiers of the army began to fill the clearing, shouting out their defiance and anger, joining Wolfe in the center. As they began to take their place alongside him and Gabe, Wolfe spotted a few familiar faces, people and pokemon whom he had either spoken to in passing, or who he bonded with. There were, however, some faces that surprised him.

One was a zoroark, who had challenged him to a fight and was very arrogant and cocky. He didn't think that the 'mon had liked him at all. He also saw the ditto, Freya, join them. First as a familiar emolga, but as he watched he saw her change into a lucario. As it did so, Wolfe's sharp eyes noticed something about her. His eyes narrowed. Then he went back to scanning the faces of the soldiers who had all defied Duke and the Dark Army, for his and his friends' sake. A memory flashed through his mind, though he did his best to ignore it.

A memory of one of his combat missions in his previous life. Where he and his comrades had all vowed to fight to the end, even though they were trapped in an old concrete building, outnumbered by over 25 to 1.

 **[Wolfe's Memories]**

" _Zero, if we make it out of this alive… I swear I'll probably marry you," a soldier, whose name he remembered to be Corporal Johnson._

 _Wolfe turned and grinned at him, ignoring the sounds of gunfire and explosions. "Well, let's hope we don't make it through this then," he joked with him. The group shared a laugh, before they all sobered up._

 _Twenty soldiers all sat in the small building, looking at each other, eyes hopeless. As he looked at them, Wolfe noticed that he was the most experienced on there. They all seemed to be looking at him. He looked right back._

 _Then he sighed, and looked down at the ground between his feet. He could practically sense their morale plummet. He wished he could offer them some kind of comfort, but he knew he couldn't._

" _We should surrender," another soldier, a private, spoke suddenly. He heard some mutters of agreement from the men._

 _He began to chuckle. Then he began to laugh. He started to laugh so hard that tears were streaming down his face. The men all looked at him like he had lost his mind, but he kept laughing. Then he looked at the private who had spoken earlier, and threw some bullet shells at him. The young man looked hurt, glaring at Wolfe, before his laughter caught on, and he too began to laugh. Slowly, more and more soldiers began to laugh, until soon all of them were laughing as hard as Wolfe was._

 _Wolfe finally regained his composure and grinned at the soldiers around him. "You want to surrender? You want to just give up? Wave a white flag, let them capture us? Is that it?" he asked incredulously. They began to glance at each other, confused. Wolfe chuckled some more. "Private, I don't think you realize our situation," he chuckled._

 _The private began to blush, even as he looked confused. "What do you mean Sergeant?"_

 _This time his friend, Hendricks, spoke. "What he means, son, is that not only are we ahead in the game, but they are all sitting back on their asses, shitting themselves, because they know we have an unkillable with us. You want to surrender when we have the upper hand?" he asked in disbelief._

 _The private frowned. "With all due respect… how exactly do we have the upper hand?"_

 _Another soldier spoke this time. "Because the odds are only 30 to one. They didn't bring enough men. Shit, I've killed twice that myself in my time in the service. Hendricks? He's killed triple that. Palinski has at least 40 under him-," "58," Palinski interrupted, before waving for him to continue. "-and that guy over there, that demon, has over 50 times their number under his belt. Son, this is a fucking cake walk," he finished._

 _They all began to laugh again, as they felt their morale increase. Finally, Hendricks shook his head and raised his hand for silence. "How about this. Whoever fucking surrenders owes the rest of us a case of beer each, alright?" he asked. The men laughed again. Hendricks raised his hand once more, and looked them each in the eye, all of them meeting his gaze easily. "I don't know about you all, but I'm not surrendering. I'm staying here. If I die, well shit, guess I died. But I swear I will not quit till then. After all, what are, some fucking girl scouts? Hell no. We're soldiers, and soldiers never quit."_

 _Slowly but surely, the other soldiers all raised their hands, swearing they'd do the same. Finally, they had all sworn. Everyone… except Wolfe. He felt them turn their gazes on him. He saw the determination in their eyes, and then nodded._

" _Well, it seems I'm the last one. Guess that means I'm buying, doesn't it? You all better be there to collect on that debt. If not, I'll take a trip down to hell, pull your dumb ass out, and then shove that case of beer up your ass for failing to collect," he said firmly._

 _They all laughed again, and Wolfe raised his hand. "I swear, I will never quit on you. I will fight till I can no longer do so, and even beyond that. I will fight to make sure you all make it home to your loved ones. I swear, I'll fight till my last breath."_

 **[POV: Wolfe] (Warning, violence ahead)**

He was brought out of his memories by Duke speaking again. "Fine!" he roared. "You'll all die like the traitors you are!" Every single body in the room tensed.

' _Kage, get here now. Don't ask why, just come, and be prepared for a fight, the likes of which we haven't seen for many years,'_ Wolfe sent to the red ringed umbreon.

He didn't get a response, but he did see the umbreon appear with Nova on his back, appearing on the other side of Gabe.

"Soldiers of the Dark Army!" Duke shouted again. "Slaughter these traitors!"

' _Now.'_

With a roar so monstrous that all near them shrank back in fear, Wolfe and Gabe joined their minds together. And in doing so, they cemented their bond once more.

The cavern was filled with both a dark and a white flash, so bright that the occupants of the room had to shield their eyes. Then it faded, and where Gabe, an ordinary gallade, had been standing stood something much more… ominous.

He still appeared to be a gallade, but there were several differences. One, he was much bigger. Two, His blades were now significantly longer and sharper. Third, he now wore a cape. And finally… his color changed.

What was once white was now a dark black, and what was green a deep grey. He also gave off an incredibly dark aura, one that intimidated even the most stoic of Dark Army soldiers. He flexed his shoulders, showing off his power and strength, as well as his intimidating blades.

Wolfe himself didn't appear different initially… until one were to look into his eyes and see that they were now a solid black. He too gave off an incredibly dark aura, and the look in his eyes made those before him tremble.

Immediately after Gabe's transformation, the entire cavern filled with the sound of thousands of soldiers shouting a mighty war cry, and the sounds of weapons leaving their scabbards.

' _Protect Lura and the kits,'_ Wolfe sent to Kage, before he drew his daggers and charged at Duke, who was snarling fiercely. He had barely taken a step when the cavern became filled with the sounds of feral snarls, flashing lights and the ring of steel against steel. Then he focused only on what was in front of him.

A human soldier met his charge, blocking his path towards Duke, and wielding a short-sword. Wolfe parried the man's downward slash and elbowed him in the ribs, hearing a satisfying crunch as he did so. To his credit, the man barely flinched, and swung his sword at Wolfe's neck. Wolfe blocked that as well, and then plunged his right dagger into the man's throat, before tearing his blade free as his opponent collapsed. Wolfe didn't even look twice at the corpse.

He tried to spot his target again, but couldn't see it through all of the bodies. He cursed, and then leapt to the side as a liepard sprang at him. He kicked its midsection, and then buried a dagger in its chest, stabbing its heart. It spasmed once, and then was still.

He looked once more for any sign of Duke, but saw nothing. He growled, and then began to fight his way through the crowd, slaughtering those who charged at him, or rescuing any soldier he came across that he recognized as having stood next to him.

It was utter chaos. The battle had just begun, and already he could see dozens of bodies littering the ground, some he recognized, others a mystery. He didn't waste time to check the bodies for who was friend and who was foe, he just killed and killed. Slowly but surely, he made his way back towards where Gabe had taken his stand.

Finally he stood next to the transformed gallade, and had a quick conversation with him.

' _Where's Via?'_ he sent.

' _She's over by the kits. They're to my right, about twenty feet away,'_ came Gabe's reply.

Wolfe nodded, blocking a clumsy thrust from a rookie. A quick stab through the young man's chest ended his life. _'Are you good here? I need to talk with her.'_

' _Make it fast partner. There's a lot of bodies here, we won't be able to kill them all, even with the help of those that sided with us. If you have a plan, put it into motion.'_

' _Wilco,'_ Wolfe sent, finishing the conversation. He then waded through the soldiers, blocking any blow aimed at him and slaying the wielder of whatever weapon attempted to harm him, be it paw, fist, sword, dagger or axe.

Eventually he reached where his kits were, and saw them cowering in fear at all of the bloodshed and noise going on around them. He quickly spotted Via, and saw her send a soldier flying using her psychic abilities. Artul wasn't far away, doing his best to fry anyone that came close.

"Via!" Wolfe shouted when he was close. "Mental link! Now!"

' _What?'_ a feminine voice asked in his mind, one he recognized as Via's.

' _I need you to do something for me,'_ he replied.

' _What do you need?'_ she asked, using a Protect to block another blow.

' _Can you psychically tear up my cloak into grey ribbons? And then teleport those onto soldiers who are fighting for us?'_

' _Smart. That way we can tell who is enemy and who is foe. Yes, I can, but it'll drain me considerably. I won't be able to defend myself,'_ she answered.

Wolfe nodded, his daggers beheading another soldier. _'Understood, and don't fear. I'll protect you, just make it happen.'_

' _On it.'_

Wolfe immediately changed gears from self-defense, to defending Via from the soldiers. He knew that he would take considerably more injuries in doing so, but his armor would stop most of them. The rest he just prayed didn't hit anything vital.

He felt his cloak disappear from around him, as he blocked a swing from an axe with both of his daggers. He turned the man's momentum against him, pushing the heavy axe head away from him, and watched as the man was spun around, choosing the moment that his back was turned to quickly stab him in the kidney with right blade, and into a lung with his other. The man collapsed shortly after he had removed his daggers.

He felt a soft sensation around his right upper arm, and risked a quick glance to see a grey ribbon, neatly wrapped around his bicep. He looked around as he blocked another blow and saw grey ribbons appearing on many different soldiers, including the one who was currently swinging at him. Wolfe deflected another blow, and then held the man's mace, and then held it with his grip.

"I'm on your side!" he shouted to the soldier, pointing at the ribbon on his arm, and then the ribbon on his opponents. The man followed his finger, and saw a ribbon matching the one that Wolfe was wearing. He then looked at Wolfe again, and nodded. Wolfe released his grip on the weapon, and watched as the man turned around to find an opponent that didn't have a ribbon.

Wolfe quickly raised his own Protect to surround him and the espeon at his feet, and glanced down at her. She was panting from the exertion, with her mouth open and her tongue hanging out. If it wasn't such a dire situation, he would have found it rather cute.

' _Are you alright?'_ he asked her. She nodded weakly. Wolfe cursed once, and then waved at the soldier who he had pointed out the ribbons to. The man nodded once, finished off his opponent, and then sprinted over to Wolfe.

"Can you keep any enemies away from me and Via? I need to get her back on her feet," he asked the man. The soldier nodded, and turned away, gesturing for a couple other grey soldiers to join him. Soon Wolfe had a protective ring around him and Via, keeping any enemies away from them. Seeing they were safe for the moment, Wolfe knelt down next to her.

He didn't speak to her, even though she was looking at him curiously. Instead, he placed a hand on her shoulder and concentrated on his energies. Then he forced them down his hand and into the pokemon it rested on. He listened as her breathing steadied and became less labored. Soon she looked almost as good as when the fight had first started. She nodded to him gratefully as she slowly got to her paws. Wolfe felt a brief flash of weariness run through him, before he shook it off.

' _I need you to send a mental message to everyone wearing the ribbon,'_ he told her psychically. She nodded. _'Tell them not to fight anyone that is wearing a ribbon.'_

She nodded once more, and closed her eyes to concentrate. While she did so, he looked up at the soldiers who had formed a ring around him. A few of them were sporting new injuries, but none of them had fallen. He nodded once in satisfaction.

Soon afterwards, he heard a slight pause in the battle as his soldiers were told about the ribbons. Then battle continued in earnest, though he thought he could make out a few 'Sorry's cut through the noise. He almost chuckled. Almost.

' _Now tell them all to start making their way towards the exit. We need to get out of here if we want to survive today,'_ he ordered Via. She nodded once more, and closed her eyes again, her jewel glowing brightly. As she sent the message, Wolfe made his way towards the man with the mace again. Once he reached them, he tapped him on the shoulder, and gestured for him to enter the circle with him. Immediately as he left, the soldiers tightened the circle and closed off the gap.

"Do you know who I am?" Wolfe asked the man.

"Yes sir, you're the Demon Wolfe," came the answer.

He nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, good. Listen, we need to move over to where the vaporeon and eevee kits are. Either we all go, or someone joins me to go get them. Got it?" he asked.

The man nodded. "Yes sir. I can pull another person from the ring to join us, then we should be good," he responded. Wolfe nodded.

"Good man, make it happen. I'm heading over now, just follow me after. And don't get yourself killed, you seem too good a soldier to lose." That said, Wolfe immediately made his way towards the edge of the ring, and then leaped through a gap as two soldiers split to make way for him.

' _The message is sent, they should all start making their way over now,'_ Via told him psychically.

' _Thank you, Via. Don't leave that circle. The energy I gave you was enough to get you on your feet, but I'm not very good at energy transfers. Don't expect it to last long if you get caught in a fight outside the guards,'_ he responded.

' _Understood.'_

Wolfe noticed a pokemon that was sent flying through the air from amongst a group of soldiers fighting each other near the edge of the cavern. He smiled thinly. _I imagine that's where they went._

Sure enough, as soon as he had forced his way over to the group, he saw Kage standing over Nova, Lura and the kits. Despite her limited training, Lura was handling herself bravely. She was pressed against the wall, firing ice beams over Kage's back as he blocked attacks and attacked himself.

Wolfe roared furiously, and leaped at the men surrounding them, slicing through one's throat from behind, stabbing another one through his back, and finishing a third one off with a stab to their throat.

After that, the remaining enemies took note that there was an enemy behind them as well as one in front, with some turning to face Wolfe and the rest pressing harder against Kage. Shortly after, the man from earlier arrived, along with another man wielding a dagger and a sword.

The five of them, Lura included, efficiently dispatched the rest of the soldiers, sending them all to an early grave. Seeing that they had a moments respite, the two friendly soldiers took up guarding stances, protecting the pokemon and Wolfe.

Immediately Wolfe grinned at Kage. "Well this is busy!" he exclaimed. The umbreon nodded. Wolfe's grin faded away, as he began to speak again. "We need to get to the exit, so you're going to have to stop holding back. I realize that there are a lot of friendlies around, but just take a little bit extra care. Anyway, thank you. We need to move the kits, Lura and Nova over quickly. We're running out of time and men, so let's hurry."

Kage nodded again, and then lowered himself to the ground to let Nova crawl onto his back. He looked up at Wolfe as she did so. "I can take one of the kits with me as well, anymore and we risk them falling off," the umbreon said. Wolfe nodded, and then picked up Keaira and placed her onto Kage's back in front of Nova. Nova immediately grabbed onto her scruff with her teeth, and dug her claws into Kage's pelt.

Wolfe then turned to the man with the mace again and whistled. The soldier nodded, and then stepped over to Wolfe. Without much ceremony, Wolfe picked up Malik and placed him into the man's arms. "You drop him, and I'll break your arm," Wolfe told the man. The soldier grinned, and held the kit tightly to his chest.

"You got it, Demon," the man said. Then he frowned. "I won't be able to fight as well with just one arm, just so you are aware."

Wolfe nodded. "I understand that, just protect him with your life. We should be able to cover for you, got it?" he asked. The soldier nodded, and then turned his gaze to beyond Wolfe, frowning. Wolfe turned and followed his gaze.

 _Shit._

While they were getting the kits sorted out, the Dark Army Loyals had formed a wall, blocking Wolfe and whoever was with him from reaching the exit. Just beyond them, there were several groups of grey soldiers, human and pokemon, fighting to reach Wolfe, but there just simply too many of them.

"Shit," the sword wielding man said. He looked back at Wolfe. "Hope you have a plan boss," he said.

Wolfe grinned. "Oh I do."

' _Partner, I need you.'_

There was a soft flash, and suddenly Gabe was standing next to him. Immediately the gallade noticed the problem. He blinked, and then turned towards Wolfe.

"So uh, you have a little problem right there," he said, raising one of his blood-soaked arms to point at the wall of soldiers. Wolfe nodded, grinning faintly. Gabe returned it.

"Well, partner mine… shall we dance?" Gabe asked.

Wolfe nodded, and readied himself. "Stay close behind us, and do not get in front of us. When we do this, we won't be able to distinguish between friend and foe, and I'd rather not be the one to kill you to. And if you're able to, try and cover the kits eyes," he called out to the group behind him.

"What's your plan?" the sword man asked. Wolfe grinned at him.

"Why, we're going to show them the Demon, of course."

 **[POV: Gale]**

Gale paused for a second to catch her breath, having finally reached the exit to the arena like she had been ordered. The grey soldiers had formed a blockade, alternating bodies to keep the line fresh, and were making sure that no-one left the arena unless they had a grey ribbon. She had to admit that it was nice to catch a quick break.

She turned her gaze out towards the sea of bodies that filled the arena. While she could still see some fighting in pockets here and there, it seemed that most of the conflict was at the exit of the arena. A mass of Dark Army Loyals were pressing against their ex-comrades, trying to force their way through. Once she had gotten her breath back, Gale would join them.

She took one more deep breath, and then let it out slowly. Then she jumped, as a bloodcurdling howl pierced above the noise of combat, followed shortly by screams of fear and agony. She looked towards the sound curiously, wondering what in the world could be the cause of such pain.

What she saw truly shocked her.

It seemed that a fog of blood had just erupted on the far side of the arena. As she watched, she saw the fog cut through the enemy like a hot knife through butter, shearing armor, flesh and bone in one single motion.

As she looked closer, she saw that where the fog started, there were two figures standing at the forefront, their arms a blur of motion. She couldn't make out who they were immediately, and as she watched the figures get closer, slaughtering dozens in their path, she thought she recognized one of them.

Although the figure was too soaked in blood and gore to identify any striking features, she could have sworn that it was Wolfe.

 **[POV: Lura]**

Lura ran behind her mate and his partner, who had changed for a reason she wasn't aware of. She did as she was told, keeping close behind Wolfe and Gabe, while also keeping an eye on her and Cordina's kits. Keaira had her eyes closed tightly, while Malik had his opened wide in horror as he gazed at his father. Of course, he didn't know that Wolfe was his father. To him, his father was a big strong umbreon, not this terrifying creature in front of him.

As she followed the kits gaze, she couldn't help but silently agree that it was terrifying. She didn't even recognize her mate. Whenever he glanced back at her, he always wore a fierce grin on his blood-soaked face, one that terrified even her. And his eyes… she didn't like his eyes like that. His eyes weren't supposed to be a solid black. _Truly, he becomes a demon,_ she thought. She was just glad that she would never have to fear him like their enemies undoubtedly were.

Lura did her best stop the blood mist from affecting the kits too much, but there was only so much someone could do. There was just too much.

As they ran, Lura couldn't help but recognize some of the bodies lying on the ground, dead. One such body that struck her like a blow was the body of Derrick.

The old luxray had clearly fought to the death, and put up a serious fight in the process. He was laying on top of a pile of bodies, one of which still had his fangs buried in its throat. He had an axe-head buried in his neck.

Lura didn't realize that she had stopped moving, until she suddenly felt something hard hit her side, sending her flying until she impacted some of the bodies left in the wake of Wolfe and Gabe's destruction. She shook her head, and turned to glare at the human who had kicked her. He grinned at her viciously, drawing a knife. Before he could dodge or attack, she had fired a concentrated Ice Beam at him, watching as the white light punched a hole through the right side of his torso. The man's eyes widened, and he let out a soft gasp, before he fell to the ground, clearly dead. She also saw a line of Dark Army Loyals falling to the ground behind the now dead man, all the way to the opposite side of the wall.

Her Ice Beam had killed every single one of them in a straight line.

Soon the gap her beam had created was filled by more soldiers. She prepared herself to fire another Ice Beam, but then realized that she was surrounded. So instead, she toned down the beam, and fired it, spinning in a circle and freezing the legs of all the soldiers around her. However, she knew that would only buy her some time.

Before anyone else could react, a sudden surge of screams of pain closed in on her, and she could make out a mist of blood through the soldiers, but this time it was a little smaller.

Finally it became clear why. From the direction of the exit, came her mate, Wolfe.

He still wore that terrifying grin on his face, which was now so red you couldn't even see his skin underneath. "Hello love! Did you need some help?" he asked cheerfully. She nodded, but couldn't bring herself to smile. She had just killed a lot of people. His grin got even brighter, if that was possible. "Well, I guess I got here in time then, now didn't I?"

Without waiting for a response, he stooped down and picked her up, before turning back towards the entrance. "Sorry about your fur love, but it can't be helped right now. Now then, let's get going!" he exclaimed. Lura couldn't understand the look in his eyes, or why he seemed so happy right now.

Before they could move, however, she felt something impact Wolfe's body. Then her eyes widened in horror as she saw a sword point erupt from his chest, inches from her nose. She looked at her mate with horrified eyes, and then her jaw dropped.

He was still grinning like an idiot, as though nothing were wrong at all. He turned to look over his shoulder at the machamp that had just stabbed him. His grin widened as he turned around to face the adversary, with the sword still inside him. "You missed friend! Here, let me show up where it should go," Wolfe exclaimed cheerfully, before reaching behind him and pulling the sword out of his chest, not flinching at all, even when blood erupted from his wound.

He studied the blade for a moment, and then the machamp, who was gazing at him with a horrified look in his eyes. Before it could defend itself, there was a blur of motion, and suddenly a sword hilt sprouted from where the pokemon's heart was. It glanced down, and then slowly collapsed. Wolfe turned and looked down at Lura, who was still looking scared.

"Don't worry too much love, the blade missed anything vital. Might have nicked my lung, but otherwise, I'm good. Best we hurry though!" he exclaimed, before drawing his dagger with his free hand. Then he immediately leapt into the fray, killing anyone that stood in his path, until they had reached the barricade of men that the grey soldiers had set up. Lura spotted Gale among them, as well as Artul, with Via in behind them.

"Well, I suppose this is your stop love!" Wolfe told her, before setting her down gently. Then he stood up and stretched, as soldiers all around stared at him, some with admiration, some with fear, but all with respect. "Got more people to save after all!"

"Wait, Wolfe!" a feminine voice called. Lura watched as he paused and turned around to face the lucario that had called after him. She had a look of worry on her face.

"Yes? Make it quick please, there's more fun to be had," Wolfe said, tapping a palm against his leg.

The lucario shook her head. "Not for you there isn't. You're covered in wounds! If we don't treat them, and quick, you could die! Not only that, but we still need to get out of the base itself, which could be a challenge depending on the door keeper. And besides, you shouldn't be using that for so long, otherwise it could have some lasting side effects," she told him.

He stared at her, curious. "You know about this?" he asked curiously. She nodded.

"Yes, yes I do!" she exclaimed.

"Neat! Well, talk to you later hot stuff, things to do!" Wolfe said.

The lucario rolled her eyes, and then quickly stepped up to him and placed a palm on his head. There seemed to be a brief aura around her and him, but it disappeared quickly. As soon as it did, Lura noticed Wolfe's eyes had returned to normal. He looked confused for a minute, then looked at Lura and smiled.

Then he turned his attention to the lucario, who still had her palm on his head. He looked at her curiously as she removed her palm. "Do I-," he started, before his eyes rolled into his head and he collapsed. The lucario caught him easily, before carefully placing him on her shoulders. She glanced down at Lura.

"Don't worry, I've got him. We should probably get moving. Let's go talk to the gallade," she said. Lura nodded, and then followed the lucario as she led the way towards a familiar gallade who was on the wall.

As soon as he caught sight of the three of them, his eyes widened in concern, and he immediately teleported over to them.

"What happened?" he asked.

The lucario answered. "He got injured one too many times, and it was harming him more than it was helping to have him use that ability. As such, I cleared his mind, which brought him out of it. However… he was worse than I thought, and barely got out of it before he fainted," she reported.

Gabe groaned, and rubbed his face with his hand.

"Stupid kid. He over did it," Kage said. Lura turned to look at him, having not heard him arrive. He nodded at her, before looking up at Gabe. "We should leave."

Gabe nodded. "Yes, we should. I'll stay behind with some volunteers to act as a rear guard to buy the rest some time to get away. Afterwards I'll teleport me and anyone with me to Wolfe's location. I've already sent some soldiers forward to clear the way out of the base, so it should be safe. But you need to go now," he ordered. He looked at the lucario again. "Can you carry him?"

She nodded. "Don't worry, I have him. I won't let him go or drop him or anything like that," she confirmed. Gabe nodded.

"Best of luck. Lura, take care of the kits… especially Malik. He won't have his mother around for possibly a long time. I would go get her but… right now, it's much too risky. She'll be fine, Duke won't hurt her. But you need to go," the gallade said.

Lura nodded, her heart twisting with grief. It had started off as such a nice day…

She followed the lucario as she led the way out of the base, flanked on either side by ex-members of the Dark Army, and followed by many more.

As she exited the base, where the stone sealing the entrance had been blown to pieces, she couldn't help but feel a little afraid for the what the future held. She turned her gaze to Wolfe, who was slung across the lucario's back. She had never seen him so weak.

And as they disappeared into the dark mountains, she couldn't help but feel another stab of anguish at leaving Cordina behind.

* * *

 **Well shit. I was up all night again, writing XD.**

 **Anyway, what did you all think? Worth the wait?**

 **Was there anything that really stood out in this chapter?**

 **Did any of you see the mega-gallade coming? I've hinted that it happened in past chapters, but sometimes a little too subtle lmao.**

 **Anyway, I'm going to leave that notice chapter up as kind of a break in between the two parts. In case it wasn't obvious, part 1 is over! Now it's part 2! Woot! Current plan is to have a total of four parts, each containing four different arcs. And at 200,000 words a part… well, we're looking at around 800,000 words for the whole story. Kinda daunting, but hey! I'm game lmao.**

 **Alright, not going to lie, this was a very fun chapter to write. I didn't realize I missed writing this story so much XD. All the same, I don't have another hiatus coming to my knowledge. If all goes well, you'll see the next update between 1-3 weeks from now.**

 **And I kept my promise! Woot!**

 **-Aury**


	27. Update and excitement!

Hiya!

So, I only have a couple things to say. One, you should be seeing an update for story later this weekend. Maybe even later today! Just a word of warning though, it's a long chapter. Like, very long. Probay going to end up being my longest one.

I would have had the chapter out earlier, but there was drama in my life, and I finally began working again. At a furniture store XD. So I'm one of the delivery guys. One of 2 atm XD. It's fun lol, but it is hard work. Currently, my back is killing me lmao. Ah well XD.

Now then, some big and exciting news!

A couple friends and I have created a discord server for interacting with readers. It's not just me, you'll see some other familiar faces, but I'll just leave that as a surprise. If y'all want in, and I hope you do, just send me a pm! I'll then link you to the server. This way, y'all can yell at me for doing something stupid or slacking XD.

Alright, meanwhile, I'm going to spend the rest of today writing. See ya again soon!

-Aurumn


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